Only Hope
by jetsfanforlyfe
Summary: COMPLETE! It's the summer before senior year, and the East High seniors are planning for their future. But something comes between Troy and his dreams, and threatens his very existence. Troyella
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, here it is. My next HSM story. Be warned, this one has plenty of Troyella angst, drama, and the like. It gets pretty intense near the middle, and also at the end. Yes, it is another Troy in the hospital type story. But it's less hospital and more Troy this time. LOL

This first chapter is more of an exposition type chapter. It doesn't have a lot of action, it's more to set the story up. This takes place the summer before senior year starts, which is why Troy is driving.

Oh, and I don't know much about basketball camps,so I made it up. Can you forgive me? lol

Enjoy!

This story is dedicated to my cousin, Karen.

* * *

"_There's a song that's inside of my soul._

_It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again._

_I'm awake in the infinite cold._

_But you sing to me over and over and over again._

_So I lay my head back down._

_And I lift my hands and pray,_

_To be only yours I pray, to be only yours,_

_I know now you're my only hope."

* * *

_

Troy Bolton tossed the duffel bag in his hand into the trunk of his SUV, shutting the door and turning to face his girlfriend, Gabriella Montez.

"I'll miss you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him softly on the lips.

"I know," he told her, returning the kiss. "I'll miss you, too. But it's only for a month."

"But the summer's only two and half months long. You're going away for most of it. What am I going to do all summer," Gabriella whined, hanging on to Troy as if she never wanted to leave him.

"I'm sorry," Troy whispered, a slight smile gracing his features as he leaned in to kiss her again. "But you know I can't pass this up. It's the opportunity of a lifetime."

"Everything's always about basketball," Gabriella whined, running a hand through Troy's hair.

"There's college scouts at this camp, Gabi," he said, returning the gesture. "I could get a scholarship. You know how important this is to me."

Gabriella nodded. "I know," she whispered, letting Troy out of her grip. He took her hand, dragging her with him to the driver's side of the car. Gabriella leaned back against the door, blocking Troy from opening it.

"Don't go," she pleaded, reaching out to stroke his hair.

"I have to, Gabi."

"I just-I feel like I'm losing you."

"Gabi, it's only a month. You're not losing me," Troy replied, smiling reassuringly at her.

"I know, but I just love you so much," she whispered, her fingers running along Troy's neckline, catching the necklace he wore.

Troy smiled at her, placing a hand on the car on either side of her head, leaning in close to her. "I love you, too," he whispered in her ear, kissing her forehead.

Gabriella closed her eyes, drawing Troy's lips to hers again.

They broke apart suddenly when Troy's parents walked out of the house.

"Hey Mr. Bolton, Mrs. Bolton," Gabriella said, lifting a hand in greeting.

They nodded, then walked over to Troy.

"Drive carefully," his mother whispered, kissing him on the forehead.

"I will, Mom."

"Have fun, play hard," his father told him, clapping Troy on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. I will."

"Are you picking Chad up on your way?"

"Yeah, I better go or we're gonna be late."

"See you in a month," Mr. Bolton said, his arm around his wife's shoulders as Troy opened the door to his car.

"Call when you get there."

Troy nodded, then turned to Gabriella.

"Bye," she whispered, blowing a kiss to him. He smiled at her, getting into the car and shutting the door. He shoved the key into the ignition, turning it. The engine turned over, and Troy put the car in gear, slowly easing out of the driveway. He turned and waved at his parents and girlfriend, who were watching him drive away.

A minute later, his house was out of sight and he was on the way to Chad's.

* * *

Chad threw his bag into the backseat, shutting the passenger door as he climbed into Troy's car. He waved at his parents, and Troy pulled out of the driveway.

"So, how long is this supposed to take?" Chad asked, pulling open Troy's glove compartment and rummaging around.

"Get the hell out of there," Troy said, taking his eyes of the road for a second. "And it's like a 8 hour drive or something to California."

"Alright, don't get all pissy with me," Chad said, snapping the compartment shut. He leaned forward and turned the stereo on. "What tunes-what the hell is this?"

The sound of a piano had filled the car, accompanied by several voices.

_"In midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter-"_

Chad quickly switched to the radio.

"It's RENT," Troy replied, keeping his eyes on the road as he navigated a particularly difficult turn. "It's Gabi's."

"She's got you listening to this crap now?"

"It's not crap, I happen to like it," Troy protested, looking sideways at Chad.

"Whatever, dude."

"You know, you should try it sometime. It actually happens to be good music."

"I'm sure. Listen, are we gonna stop somewhere. I'm starving," Chad said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, sure, tell me when you see someplace to stop."

* * *

Chad and Troy climbed out of the car, going around to the back to take out their duffels. Several other young men their age were also getting out of cars, some waving good-bye to their parents, some locking the doors on their own cars.

Chad and Troy slung their bags over their shoulders, headed in the direction everyone else was headed in. They found the sign-in desk.

"Names?" the harried woman behind the table asked, handing Troy and Chad forms.

"Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth," Troy said. The woman turned behind her and flipped through a file and pulling out two packets.

"These are your welcome kits. Room assignments, team assignments, and coach assignements are in there. The welcome meeting is at 7 tonight in the main ball room, don't be late. Next!"

Chad and Troy walked away from the table, opening their envelopes.

"What room?" Troy asked, locating the page with his room assignment.

"210. You?"

"Same," Troy replied. They set off in the direction indicated by the signs on the wall. Reaching 210, Troy took out his key and opened the door. Two other teens were sitting on their respective beds, unpacking their bags.

"Hey," Troy said, catching their attention. "I guess you're our roommates." He dropped his bag on one of the two remaining beds, and walked over to the others.

"Hey," one said, standing up and shaking Troy's hand. "Ryan Andrews."

"Troy Bolton."

Chad came over too, shaking Ryan's hand. "Chad Danforth."

The other teen stood up and came over. "Chris Ryan. Where you guys from?"

"Albuquerque," Troy answered, going back to his bed and unzipping his duffel. "You?"

"LA," Ryan replied.

"New York."

"Long way from home," Chad remarked.

"Yeah, but it's not that bad."

"So," Troy said, sitting on his bed and turning to face the others. "What's there to do around here?"

* * *

Troy shifted in the uncomfortable chair, his eyes glazed over as he stared absently at the projector screen at the front of the room. The other guys around him were behaving similarly as they entered the second hour of the seemingly endless presentation.

Suddenly, the projector switched off and the lights came up as a man in his thirties walked up to the microphone. Troy was startled. He hadn't even realized that the presentation was over.

"That was just a basic history of the camp," the man said, leaning into the microphone. Several of the players laughed tentatively. "My name is Andrew Jones. You can all call me Andrew. Or Coach. I'm the director of the camp. I trust you've all found your rooms and have gotten settled in." He paused looking out at the young men in front of him. "Good. Because the next four weeks of your lives are going to be filled with basketball, basketball, and more basketball."

An appreciative laugh went around the room, breaking the tense silence that followed the presentation. Andrew smiled slightly.

"Yeah, you laugh now. Come back and see me in four weeks." Another laugh.

"So, this meeting is basically to give you the schedule for each day. Wake up call is at 6:30 every morning, breakfast at 6:45. First team practice is at 7:15. Each practice lasts two hours. After morning practice it's drill clinics at 9:30. Each clinic lasts two hours. The topics range from free throws to lay-ups and everything in between. Lunch is at 11:45, break until 1. Afternoon practice is from 1:10-3:10, followed by a twenty minute break. At 3:30 each day, there will be a scrimmage between two teams. This is where the scouts will be. Dinner is at 5, then evening clinic at 6:30. Lights out at 10. On Saturdays there's a clinic at 10:30 and a scrimmage at 3. Other than that, weekends are free."

The players sat shocked, barely able to soak in their hectic schedules for the next few weeks.

"Any questions? Good. Get back to the dorms, lights out is in half an hour," Andrew said, walking away from the mike. The room was almost immediately filled with the buzzing of voices.

"6:30?" Chad whispered to Troy, moaning.

Troy laughed. "You'll get over it. Come on, let's get back to the room. 6:30 will be here before you know it."

* * *

A/N: Well, that was pretty cool. I feel so bad for those poor basketball players. LOL Reviews greatly appreciated (as always)!

Credit where credit is due: The song that opened the chapter was "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore. The song on Troy's CD was "Seasons of Love" from RENT (if you didn't know that have you been living under a rock? just kidding :D)

That was my homage to RENT, One Tree Hill, and A Walk to Remember. LOL

Coming in Chapter 2: The first day of camp. Can they survive the hectic schedule?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: I noticed that a bunch of you wanted to know what the One Tree Hill reference was. It was just the fact that they were going to basketball camp. I got the idea from Nathan going to High Flyers.

And yes, I changed the summary.

OMG, I'm totally watching HSM right now. That was really random. But I thought it was important. Lol

Anyway, this chapter is still kind of opening up the story, though there is some stuff that is important to the plot. Enjoy!

* * *

"Mmm, mom go away," Chad moaned, swatting away the pillow that Troy was dangling over his face. Ryan and Chris laughed, the former pulling a sleeveless shirt over his head. Chad's eyes snapped open, and his cheeks turned red. "What?" 

"It's 6:35, time to get up," Troy said, walking over to his own bed and pulling his own shirt over his bare chest.

"It's too early," Chad muttered, flipping over and burying his face in his pillow.

"Come on, we have to get down to breakfast," Troy replied, throwing a shoe at his best friend.

"Ow!" Chad sat up straight, rubbing his head. "What the hell is your problem?"

Ryan and Chris laughed again.

"See you guys at breakfast," Ryan said, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leading Chris out into the hall.

"Come on, Chad, we're gonna be late," Troy said exasperatedly, slinging his own bag over his shoulder.

"I'll meet you there," Chad muttered, sliding out of bed and rummaging tiredly in his bag. He located a pair of shorts, which he then proceeded to put over his head.

"Good luck with that," Troy laughed, walking out the door and toward the dining hall.

* * *

"Alright, guys, circle up!" the young man standing in the center of the half of the gym allotted to his team said, looking down at his clipboard. They complied, and the coach turned slowly as he talked to them. 

"My name is Coach Richards. Nick Richards. And you will hereafter be known as the Blue Team. Creative, I know." An appreciative chuckle ran around the group. Troy smiled to himself, wondering what team Chad was on.

"A little about myself: I was the captain of my high school's championship team three years in a row, went on to play at UConn, was drafted by the Spurs in the '98 draft, blew out my knee during a practice, and ended up coaching here." He paused, smiling slightly. "You guys are some of the best in the country, and you know that. But this is not the place for individual glory. We will learn to play as a team, and we _will _play as a team. With that said, today's practice is basically an opportunity to see what each of you can do. At tonight's practice you'll vote on two captains, who will help guide the team as we try to win the camp championship in four weeks."

Coach Richards paused, looking out at each player individually. "This is going to be a tough few weeks, but it will be well worth your effort if you try hard. With that in mind, I want to start with basic dribbling. Form two rows of 5, each row gets a ball. Dribble down to the line and back without losing the ball."

The players complied. Troy ended up in a line behind two other guys whom he was pretty sure he recognized from breakfast that morning. The coach handed the first two guys a ball, and blew the whistle.

Troy watched intently as the two players dribbled.

"These guys are really good," he heard the person behind him mutter to no one in particular. He found himself agreeing.

_"What am I doing here?" _he asked himself, all of sudden doubting his ability. A sudden headache began to form at his temples, and Troy felt lightheaded. Suddenly, the person in front of him was tossing him the ball, signaling that it was his turn. Shaking his head, Troy focused.

As he started down the line, his doubts vanished and he found himself handling the ball with ease. He reached the end and turned, dribbling back to the starting point. He handed the ball off, and headed to the back of the line. He was almost sure that he had gotten a nod of approval from the coach.

* * *

Troy stood in the lunch line, holding his tray and looking around for Chad. As he picked up a sandwich and a Gatorade, he finally spotted his friend, walking into the cafeteria with Ryan and another player. He waved them over, and they all sat down at a table after the other three had grabbed food. 

"So, how was your day?" Troy asked, taking a huge bite of his sandwich.

Chad groaned. "Man, I don't know how you can be so happy. I feel like a truck ran me over and then some clowns dragged me out of the ditch and used me in their circus act."

Troy stopped chewing for a moment, looking at Chad. He suddenly burst out laughing, as did Ryan and the other player, who Troy had been introduced to as Mike.

"What?"

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Troy asked, swallowing.

"Shut up," Chad muttered, turning to his own food. Troy smiled, but all of a sudden the smile turned to a grimace.

"You okay?" Ryan asked, looking concernedly at Troy. Troy didn't answer but merely scrunched his eyes together in pain as he struggled to breathe. When he finally opened them, he found that he was seeing double and that his lungs hurt with every breath he took.

"Troy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Troy muttered, putting a hand to his head.

"What's up?" Chad asked, looking up.

"Headache. It's nothing, forget it." Troy purposely left out the part about his lungs.

"How long have you had one?" Mike asked, the question seemingly random.

"All day, why?"

"It's just-you should tell one of the coaches if it gets worse. My aunt had a headache one day, and the next she was dead from a brain aneurysm."

"Thanks for the support," Troy whispered, looking at Mike.

"Sorry."

"You know what, it's nothing. It's gone now."

* * *

"Alright, guys, you've played together through two practices and a clinic," Coach Richards said, standing in the middle of his circle of players. "In 15 minutes we've got our first scrimmage, against the Red Team. Now it's time for us to pick our two captains." He took out ten slips of paper, handing one to each player. "Write down the name of the player you vote for, and give it to me. Be back here in ten minutes, and I'll announce the captains before the game." 

The players complied, and then broke apart, most of them heading to the bleachers and their water bottles. Troy sat heavily down on the lowest bleacher, putting a hand to his chest in discomfort.

"You okay?" Kyle, the player who had led off Troy's line that morning, had walked over and was now standing in front of Troy.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Good thing, man, 'cuz I saw you at practice and we could definitely benefit from your skills."

Troy smiled. "Thanks. You weren't lacking in the skill department, either, you know."

"Yeah, I try. So, where-"

A shrill whistle broke through his sentence, followed by Coach Richard's booming voice.

"Alright guys, let's get it together!"

The ten players gathered up, watching as several staff members pushed back the divider that separated the gym into two. The red team was walking into the gym, having come from the other gym used for the camp. The yellow team filed out the door, headed toward Gym 2.

"The captains are Troy Bolton and Kyle Larson. They'll be your leaders for the next four weeks, so whatever they say, goes. Got it? Good, suit up." He handed each player a blue jersey, which they pulled over their own t-shirts.

"Congrats," Kyle said, slapping Troy on the back.

"Yeah, you too."

"Alright, starters are Bolton, Larson, Evans, Michaels, and Scott. Get out there!"

Troy and Kyle led their players onto the court, standing opposite the other team. Several men and women holding clipboards and wearing jackets from various colleges had long since filed in, and were awaiting the tip.

"Remember guys, this is a scrimmage," the ref advised, holding the ball up. Troy faced off with one of the members on the red team. The ref put his whistle to his lips and blew, starting the game. Troy tipped the ball to one of his teammates, and the game was on.

* * *

"Nice work out there, Bolton," a middle-aged man said, walking up to him and shaking his hand. 

"Thanks." Troy looked at the man, doing a double-take when he realized that the breast pocket of his polo shirt read "Duke."

"My name's Anthony White, I'm here from Duke."

Troy gaped, speechless.

"We get that a lot. I really think you've got a lot of talent, Troy. I just wanted to tell you that we're quite interested in you as a prospect for the team."

"Me?" Troy asked, still star-struck.

"Yes, you. I'll be watching you closely the next few weeks, and we're gonna send a few scouts to some of your games back home. I think you've got a good shot."

"Thanks," Troy whispered, shaking his hand.

"I've gotta go, but keep up the good work and there may be a spot for you on our team."

* * *

A/N: I'm just so evil. :D Troy's getting recruited by one of the best basketball colleges in the nation, and I have to go and ruin it, don't I…hehe 

So, I hope you guys liked it! Reviews greatly appreciated, as always.

P.S.-That was a homage to RENT again, being that Kyle's last name is Larson. Jonathan Larson was pure musical genius. It's so sad that he died :(

Coming in Chapter 3: So, Duke wants Troy. But what's up with the freaky chest spasms and headaches? And will Chad ever get used to the early mornings?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, to recap: Troy's having freaky headaches and chest spasms, Chad hates getting up, Kyle and Troy were voted the captains of their team, and Duke is interested in recruiting Troy. Exciting, I know. Lol

I know some of you are wondering how old Troy is, so the answer to that is 17. He's almost 18. :D

Random moment of the chapter: AAAAHHHHH who watched One Tree Hill last night? OMG! Sorry, couldn't help it :D

Anyway, Enjoy! This is the point in the story in which it starts to go downhill for Troy. I fast forwarded to the last week of camp because everything else would have been kind of boring for the other weeks.

* * *

Troy sat opposite Chad, Ryan, Chris, Mike and Kyle at the breakfast table. Chad was struggling to keep his eyes open, propping his head up with a hand to keep it from falling into his cereal bowl. All around them the clink of spoons and glasses filled the air, occupying the silence that would have otherwise been oppressive. It was Monday, and they only had one week to go.

"I cannot wait to get back to my own bed," Kyle muttered, absently filling his spoon with cereal and letting it fall back into the bowl.

"I know what you mean," Troy said, stifling a yawn of his own. 6:30 didn't seem that early, until you multiplied it by 28.

Chad said nothing, only let his head fall onto the table, his nose landing in his milk covered spoon. He instantly jerked awake, looking around wildly as milk dripped slowly off his nose.

"Somebody's tired," Mike joke, throwing a napkin at Chad.

"Shut up," Chad groaned, wiping his nose and yawning.

"Alright, guys, let's get to practice!" Andrew Jones boomed from the front of the cafeteria, way too active for 7 in the morning. Groans filled the room, accompanied by the scrape of chairs as players began to get up and stagger toward their respective gyms.

"See you losers later," Troy said, as he, Kyle, and Chris headed toward Gym 1.

"Yeah, when you get your sorry butts kicked," Chad quipped, high-fiving Mike and Ryan.

"Is that smack talk I hear?" Kyle laughed, silently mocking the green jerseys hanging from their bags.

The six of them laughed, and headed to the gyms.

* * *

"Alright, guys, we've got one week left," Coach Richards said, looking around at the players in front of him. "Wednesday we start the games for the camp championship. I have to say, I think you guys have a shot to take it."

An excited murmur ran around the circle, as the players looked approvingly at one another.

"But that does not mean that I'm going to lay off you in any way today, which is why we're starting off with suicides. Line up!"

The smiles on the players faces died as they groaned, lining up along the sideline. Coach Richards put his whistle to his mouth, and within moments the ten players were off, running toward the other sideline as fast as possible.

"Touch the line, Evans!" the coach shouted, as they reached the line and bent down to touch it before running back. "Keep going!"

Troy found himself falling behind slightly, having slight trouble breathing.

"This isn't break time, Bolton! Keep up!"

Troy mentally berated himself, putting in an extra effort to catch up. He touched the line a split second after the others, then struggled to catch up again.

"Four more!"

Troy groaned, cursing silently. Five minutes later, Troy sank to the ground by the bleachers, gasping for air as the others caught their breath. The coach walked over.

"Bolton, what's going on?"

Troy looked up at the coach, still struggling to breathe. "N-nothing, Coach."

"I would hope so. Get up and join your team, practice isn't over yet."

Troy groaned inwardly, standing up slowly and putting a hand against the wall to brace himself. He half hoped the coach would notice his pain, but he was already half-way over to the others.

* * *

"Good luck," Chad said, nodding across the court at Troy. The two were set to tip the ball for the beginning of the scrimmage between their two teams.

"Yeah, you need it," Troy shot back, smiling at his friend. The ref blew the whistle, and Troy tipped the ball to Kyle, who set off down the court.

Chad immediately dropped back to cover Troy, who was trying to get open for Kyle to pass him the ball. Troy ducked around his friend, holding his hands up to Kyle. Chad noticed a split second too late, and the ball was in the net, courtesy of Troy.

"Alright!" Kyle cried, slapping Troy on the back as they ran back to cover their own net. Troy smiled, and turned to cover his man. Seconds later, Shawn Evans had stolen the ball, and the action was directed back at the other end.

"Shawn, I'm open!" Troy called, getting the ball and immediately passing it off to Kyle. The other captain set himself behind the three point line, jumping and taking the shot. It sailed cleanly through the net.

Ten minutes later, the blue team was ahead, 16-4. Troy stole the ball from one of Chad's teammates, and was off down the court, taking the lay-up when he reached the basket. The ball swished in, and several of the scouts sitting in the bleachers nodded. Troy started back down the court, but stopped short, his face falling as he put a hand to his chest, clearly struggling to breathe.

"Troy?" Kyle was covering his man, looking concerned at his teammate.

Several people stopped, watching Troy. He was oblivious, however, to everything other than the sudden pounding headache that overcame his senses. He blinked slowly, trying to clear his vision. Barely aware of what was happening, Troy sank slowly to his knees, prompting screams and shouts from several people.

"Troy!" Chad cried, running to his friend's side, accompanied by Kyle and several other people.

"Stop the game!"

"Somebody call 911!"

"Get a trainer!"

"Come on, people, make room!"

Shouts filled the gym, as Troy fell slowly to the floor, lying unconscious on his side.

"Let me through!"

Coach Richards was pushing his way through the steadily growing crowd, leading a trainer. They knelt at Troy's side, as Chad, Kyle, Mike, and Ryan stood alarmed nearby.

"Did somebody call 911?"

"I did!" a voice shouted from the back. "They'll be here in 5 minutes!"

"Help me get him on his back," the trainer said to the coach, as they lay Troy on the ground. The trainer put his fingers to Troy's neck.

"He's got a pulse, and he's breathing. Did he hit his head?"

Coach Richards shook his head.

"The paramedics are here!"

The coach jumped up, and pushed back the crowd, clearing a path for the paramedics. They were rolling a gurney between them and were closely followed by Andrew Jones. The camp director pulled the coach aside.

"Who is it?"

"Troy Bolton. He just collapsed on the court."

Andrew sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, somebody call his parents. The game is suspended until further notice, I want everyone in their dorms, now!"

Despite the order, no one moved.

"Come on, people, let's clear the gym! Give them some room!" Several players began to walk away slowly, headed for their dorms. Andrew walked over to the paramedics, intending to address Chad and the others.

"Come on, guys, back to the dorms."

Chad shook his head.

"I'm staying. I'm going with him."

The paramedic interrupted. "We're taking him to the hospital, they're going to want to run some tests. Have his parents been notified?"

Andrew nodded. "We'll send them to the hospital."

As they watched, the paramedics carefully lifted Troy onto the gurney, and set off toward the door.

"Is anyone riding along?"

"I am!" Chad said quickly, jogging over to the gurney.

"Hey-"

"Let him go," Coach Richards said, putting a hand to Andrew's arm. "We've got enough to deal with here."

The director relented, herding the final players back toward the dorms as the paramedics hurried outside, followed closely by Chad. He and Coach Richards watched in silence as Troy was loaded into the ambulance, and Chad jumped in behind him.

"Time for damage control," Andrew whispered, turning back to the building.

* * *

A/N: Well, that was fun. I hate suicides. They really are no fun at all. Lol As always, reviews are very, very greatly appreciated.

As you can tell, I know like, nothing about basketball. I played for like, one seasons, and I was really bad. :D

That was like one major homage to One Tree Hill. I got the whole running suicides and having trouble breathing from the eppy when Luke did the same, the whole passing out at a game, pretty much all of it from OTH. Forgive me:D

Coming in Chapter 4: The return of Gabriella! What is wrong with Troy? How do his new friends take it?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, that was a fun chapter. lol Finally this story is picking up, and this chapter deals with Troy's diagnosis and his family and friends' reactions to it.

Oh, and Gabi played less of a part than I originally planned. She has a pretty big part in the next chapter, though.

Oh, and I'm sorry this took longer, I had a Sweet 16 and an English project that is due tomorrow. LOL

Random moment of the chapter: To all OTH fans, yes I think Keith is dead. End of story. :D

Anyway, enjoy! (BTW, this chapter is like completely based off of ER) I don't like this chapter but it was kind of necessary, so...

* * *

"What've we got?" A young, handsome doctor stepped up to the door of the ambulance, reaching in to help bring the gurney down to the pavement outside the hospital.

"Troy Bolton, 17, collapsed at basketball camp. Vitals are stable, but he hasn't regained consciousness." The group began to move toward the automatic sliding glass doors of the ER, leaving Chad gaping after them

"Started an IV in the field and put him on 10 liters of oxygen by mask."

"Who's the kid?"

"Friend. Wanted to ride along." The paramedic looked back at Chad, before turning to the doctor. "No previous history, though the friend did mention that he'd been short of breath for the last month."

"Amy, what's open?" the doctor called out to the petite red-head seated behind the Admitting desk. She glanced at the white board on the wall behind her, putting a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone she was using.

"Exam 2."

"Thanks!" They moved in the direction of the room, as Amy turned back to her phone call, holding up a hand to acknowledge the doctor.

"Alright, move him on my count. One…two…three!" Troy was lifted onto the bed in Exam 2, and the paramedics left with their gurney, their job finished.

"Contact the camp and see if his parents have been called. I want a CBC, chem 7, UA, lytes, and an ABG for now."

"What about a tox screen, Dr. Carter?" a middle-aged woman had entered the room, and was busy hooking Troy up to several diagnostic machines.

"And a tox screen. Thanks, Lydia." Dr. Carter flashed a brilliant smile in her direction, pulling his stethoscope from his neck and putting it to Troy's chest. "His breathing's labored, why don't we add a chest x-ray while we're at it."

The nurse nodded, quickly drawing blood from Troy's arm to send off to the lab.

"His parents have been notified," Amy stuck her head into the room, watching the methodical pace of the doctor's work. "What do you want me to do with the kid?"

"Keep him in Chairs, I'll get to him later."

Amy nodded, and in a second was gone.

"Blood work's been sent to the lab," Lydia said, adjusting the bag on Troy's IV. "I had them rush it."

"Alright, that's all we can do until we get some results. I want a constant eye on his pulse and pressure, and keep him on saline until we find out what's caused this."

Lydia nodded, and Dr. Carter left the room, leaving an unconscious Troy alone with her.

* * *

"Alright, Richards, you're down one until Bolton gets back, if he does. I'm canceling the evening clinics, I want every player in the main room for a debriefing. Each of you will get your teams together and bring them in, I don't want anyone spreading rumors about this." Andrew Jones looked around at each coach seated before him in the conference room, waiting for further instructions.

Coach Richards sat quietly, his face drawn. He was clearly upset by the events that had transpired.

"Don't you think we should find out how he is?"

"Right. Okay, after dinner, you and I will go over to the hospital, check on Bolton, and bring Danforth back here."

"Don't you think you're being just a little too harsh on the kid?" Chad's spoke up, also disturbed by the turn the day had taken.

Andrew didn't look him in the eye.

"I have to keep this camp running. Whatever it takes, I have to do. And that means we're leaving in an hour," he said, turning to Richards.

"Fine. Let me talk to my team separately, though. They've lost their captain and star player, I think they deserve an explanation before anyone else."

With that Coach Richards left the room, headed toward the dorms. He quickly found Kyle's room, which he knew was also the room of two of the other players. He knocked on the door, and which was soon opened by a very grim Kyle.

"Hey, Coach. What's going on?"

"Team meeting, five minutes in the gym. Pass the word, I'll meet you guys there."

Kyle nodded, telling his roommates and going to alert the other 5 team members. When they were all assembled in the gym, Coach Richards ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath before addressing them.

"Alright, Troy is at the hospital. We don't know his condition, but we have to prepare for the possibility that he won't be back."

The players all sat, shocked.

"Is he-" Kyle asked slowly, swallowing heavily.

"No. But he could be sick, or hurt, and he may have to go home. I know this is a lot to handle right now, but we have to pull together as a team, for Troy."

The players nodded, and Coach Richards was clearly touched by the bond the ten teens had formed over the past few weeks.

"Alright, you guys have to get over to the main room, Andrew wants to have an emergency camp meeting."

* * *

"Dr. Carter, tox screen's back on you basketball kid." Lydia stuck her head into the exam room, interrupting the doctor's examination of a young girl's broken wrist.

"Thanks, Lydia, I'll be right there." Turning to the little girl, he smiled reassuringly. "Katie, I'm going to leave you with your mommy but a nice man is going to come fix your arm very soon, okay?"

She nodded, clutching the small teddy bear she held clos to her chest.

"I'll be right back," he said to the mother, quickly leaving the room. Lydia was waiting outside for him.

"It's negative. Everything else came back clean, too."

Dr. Carter took the sheets she held out to him, looking them over.

"Damn. I was sure he was on something. Did the-" He paused, looking intently at the numbers on one of the pages. "That can't be right."

They reached Troy's room and walked in, Dr. Carter's eyes still glued to the paper.

"What's wrong?"

"His white cell count is through the roof, re-draw the CBC."

Lydia nodded, and moved to the bed, quickly filling a small vial with Troy's blood and leaving the room, taking it up to the lab.

Dr. Carter walked over to the bed, about to check Troy's breathing when he noticed the teen was waking up.

"Troy? Troy, can you hear me?" He gently snapped his fingers in front of Troy's face, watching intently as the latter blinked slowly, then groaned.

"What the hell?" Troy's eyes snapped open, and he looked around, startled to find himself in a hospital.

"Troy, my name is Dr. Carter. You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Troy blinked, clearly confused. "Uh, I was at camp. And then I collapsed at the game. What the hell happened?"

"We're trying to find out. Have you taken anything in the last few weeks, anything that might-"

"No. No drugs. No anything. What's wrong with me?"

Lydia walked back in, holding a large folder and a paper in her hands.

"The rush CBC came back, the numbers are the same. Chest x-ray is back, too."

Dr. Carter took the paper, a shadow crossing his face as he saw the numbers.

"Alright, Lydia, change Troy's saline and try to fill him in, I'm going to take a look at the x-rays." He left the room, going into the hall where he slapped the films on a light board.

"Clear," he muttered to himself, pulling them down and sliding them back into the envelope. He looked back at the paper. Sighing, he walked over to the phone on the wall.

"Oncology? Hi, this is Dr. Carter in the ER, I need a consult on a 17 year old."

* * *

"Chad?"

He looked up from his position in the chair closest the door to the ER, where he had been sitting for the last three hours. Troy's parents and Gabriella were walking toward him, their faces drawn with worry.

"Hey," he half-whispered, standing up to greet them.

"Where is he?"

Chad shrugged. "They haven't told me anything since we got here, I-" he stopped, interrupted when Dr. Carter walked in.

"Are your Troy's parents?"

They nodded.

"I need you to come with me."

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun... hehe poor Troy. He's in for a wild ride. lol sorry that this chapter was kind of boring, the next is better. anyways, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 5: They find out what's wrong with Troy! Cute Troyella moment before it, though :D

P.S.-I'm writing a new story. Called "Keep the Faith." More to follow later, but I think it might end up a Ryan/Gabi story...you can read the summary in my profile :D


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, that was a fun chapter. :D Anyway, this chapter finally has Troy getting diagnosed. Forgive me with the disease if it doesn't completely match the symptoms. I mostly picked everything up from ER and House and some from my dad. So, here it is! Chapter 5!

Oh, and if you were wondering, yes, Dr. Carter is a tribute to ER. If you've seen old school ER and new ER, think Ray mixed with season 5-6 Carter and you get Dr. Carter.

LOL, enjoy!

Oh, and Troy's mom is named Kellie in this one too.

* * *

Dr. Carter brought them to the hallway outside Troy's room. Pausing, he turned to face them. 

"What's going on?" Jack asked, his voice betraying his anxiety. Kellie was gripping his hand tightly.

"Troy's white blood cell count came rather high. This could mean a number of things, including an infection or a type of disease, or even cancer. However, given Troy's recent weakness-"

"What are you talking about?" Jack broke in angrily. "What 'weakness'?"

Dr. Carter paused, looking oddly at the two. "Troy's friend told us that he had been experiencing shortness of breath and severe headaches for the last month. He never-"

"No, he never said anything," Kellie half-whispered, clutching Jack's hand even tighter. The doctor sighed.

"Anyway, given the other symptoms he's displayed, we're currently leaning toward the cancer side."

"What?"

"I've paged the oncologist; she should be down soon to see him. In the meantime I can let you sit with Troy-"

"Wait, are you telling us he has cancer?" Jack broke in, as Kellie began to cut off the circulation in his hand.

"I'm telling you that we think it's a possibility, Dr. Wilson will be able to better determine-"

"Oh, my God," Kellie whispered, tears springing into her eyes. Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"So you don't know anything? For all you know it could be an infection, right?"

"Yes, that's a possibility, but, given-"

"He doesn't have cancer," Jack stated firmly, clearly struggling to come to terms with what the doctor had said. "He can't."

"Mr. Bolton-"

"My son does not have cancer."

"Jack-"

The conversation was interrupted when a tall, thin brunette walked up, her ponytail swishing across her back rhythmically as she walked. The pocket of her white lab coat read Dr. Angela Wilson, Pediatric Oncology. She held out her hand to Dr. Carter.

"I got your page, Dr. Wilson, Pedes Oncology."

Dr. Carter nodded, then motioned to Troy's parents.

"Jack and Kellie Bolton, Troy's parents. I was just briefing the-"

"Can you tell us if our son has cancer?" Jack spat, unable to keep the frustration from his voice.

"I can try," Dr. Wilson said, keeping her voice even. She was skilled at dealing with pushy parents. Turning to Dr. Carter, she took the chart he offered her. "What room?"

"Exam 2. He just woke up about half an hour ago."

She nodded, and turned toward Troy's room. Jack and Kellie made to follow, but she held up her hand.

"I'd like to examine him alone, then we can let you in to see him. It could be too stressful-"

"I just want to see my son," Jack said angrily, not removing his arm from Kellie's shoulders.

"Please, Jack, calm down. Troy will be fine," Kellie soothed, placing her hand on his arm to placate him.

"I promise, Mr. Bolton, that I will do whatever I can to help your son. I need you to back off first, so I can work."

"But-" Before Jack could finish his protest, Dr. Wilson had turned and walked down the hallway, leaving Kellie to pull Jack back into the waiting room.

* * *

"How is he?" Gabriella asked, standing up when she noticed the identical worried expressions Troy's parents wore. 

"We didn't get to see him, they were about to examine him," Kellie said gently, sitting next to Chad. Jack refused to sit, choosing instead to pace the room.

"Can they do that?" Chad asked, his face drawn from the long hours he had already waited.

"Apparently. There was something on his blood test that they wanted to double check."

"Something like what?" Gabriella asked quickly, the color draining from her face.

Kellie sighed. "I don't want to worry you until we know for sure what's going on."

"Mrs. Bolton-"

Gabriella's sentence was cut off when Dr. Wilson walked over to them.

"Well?" Jack asked impatiently, stopping his movement as he came to stand next to his wife.

"I want to run a biopsy on his bone marrow to confirm, but all of the findings seem to point toward leukemia."

Gabriella gasped, sinking into her chair as Chad stared blankly at the doctor. Kellie's hand flew to her mouth as she clutched her husband's arm convulsively.

* * *

Gabriella sat at Troy's feet, absently tucking in the blankets around his feet. They were in a private room on the Oncology floor, anxiously awaiting the results of Troy's biopsy. Chad was sitting in the chair by the door, and Troy's parents were both sitting by his side. Troy himself was staring absently at the ceiling his face pale. 

"Troy, how are you feeling?" Gabriella asked, placing her hand on his thigh to comfort him.

"Fine," he grunted, not looking at her.

"Sweetie, please talk to us," Kellie whispered, brushing back his hair.

"'Bout what?"

"Troy-"

A knock at the door preceded the entrance of Dr. Wilson. Every pair of eyes in the room turned to her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, holding the papers in her hands out to Troy's parents.

Troy looked as though someone had punched him in the gut. He looked at his parents, then back to the doctor, then back to his parents.

"So it's true. I have-" he paused, clearly struggling to wrap his mind around the idea. "C-cancer?"

Dr. Wilson nodded, her expression grim. "I'm sorry, Troy. Leukemia."

Gabriella cried out, burying her face in the blankets on Troy's legs. Chad cursed softly, his head in his hands. Kellie collapsed slightly, only Jack's grip keeping her from falling to the ground. She clutched at his shirt, crying openly.

"I know this seems soon, but we need to discuss treatment options," Dr. Wilson said, trying to ignore the grief that she was witnessing.

"Can-can you give us a minute?" Jack asked, his voice filled with emotion.

"Of course. I'll be back in a few." Dr. Wilson left the room, and Jack sat Kellie down on the chair, letting her fall forward to lean against Troy's bed. Troy himself was twisting his fingers in the sheets, clearly grappling with his feelings.

"Troy," Jack began, looking at his son as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "Troy-"

"Dad, not now. Tell Dr. Wilson to come back, we need to know how I'm going to beat this."

Kellie's head lifted at the sudden determination in Troy's voice, as did Gabriella and Chad's.

"I'm going to beat this," he said firmly, looking each one in the eye.

Jack nodded, then went into the hall and came back with the doctor.

"What are the options?" Troy asked, ironically the most level-headed person in the room.

Dr. Wilson smiled, noticing that Troy was taking the initiative, not allowing himself any time for pity.

"Leukemia is a very common form of cancer, and is very treatable. Unfortunately, your case seems to be slightly more complicated. It appears that the condition went untreated for several years, which explains why it got so bad this past month. The cancer cells have begun to metastasize, or spread. Basically, at this point our best bet is chemotherapy. I've gotten in touch with Dr. Michaels at Albuquerque General, he'll be able to further discuss treatment plans with you. I'm a little reluctant to get into too much detail because I'm not going to be Troy's oncologist. Dr. Michaels is ready to meet you tomorrow, when you get back to New Mexico."

She stopped, letting the information sink in.

"I know this is a lot to handle, but it is imperative that you act quickly. I would suggest getting to Dr. Michaels as soon as possible, so you can start treatments as soon as possible."

"What are the odds?" Jack asked quietly, voicing the question written in Troy's face.

"Without treatment at all, there's about almost a 100 chance that Troy will die. With a substantial delay in treatment, it's about 50-50. However, if you act quickly, the odds increase to 80-20. It is extremely likely that Troy will beat this if you act now."

Jack nodded, and sank back in his chair. Dr. Wilson looked around at each person, sitting shell-shocked around Troy.

"I'll leave you to talk, but please, don't hesitate to ask anything." With that, Dr. Wilson left the room, leaving the five in silence.

* * *

A/N: hehe…that was fun. not. Once again, I'm not 100 sure about symptoms/treatments, but it doesn't really matter in the long run. Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always! 

P.S.-Yes, that was a homage to House. Dr. Wilson…five points if you guessed that! lol

Coming in Chapter 6: They deal. And Troy starts treatments. And starts puking all over the place...j/k :D


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, I'm sitting here watching the HSM dance-along. And dancing badly. LOL I just thought I'd share.

Sorry this took so long. I had massive amounts of math and Latin homework the past few days. Ick. LOL

Random moment of the chapter: Grr, I was so mad that Chloe won Project Runway. I liked Daniel more. He was cute :( lol

So, anyway, here is chapter 6. Poor Troy. You're all going to hate me soon. :D

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, we'll drop back to the camp and pick up your tuff, then head home," Jack said, as they all walked out to the Bolton's car. "Chad'll drive your car home, and we'll go see Dr. Michaels first thing tomorrow." 

Troy nodded, his face locked in the same stony expression he had worn since Dr. Wilson had released him from the hospital. They reached the car, and Gabriella pulled the door open for him, sliding in next to him. Chad took the third seat in the back, and Troy's parents sat up front.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked softly, tenderly brushing his hair behind his ear as she watched him stare straight in front of him as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, it's just-it's starting to sink in now," Troy said quietly, unable to keep the slight quiver out of his voice as his eyes began to sting with coming tears.

Chad rested his head on the window, looking sadly at the passing scenery. In contrast to Troy's calmness the past day, Chad had been nearly hysterical at several points, terrified of losing his best friend. Now he remained silent, as did everyone else, the possibilities of the future closing in on them.

"You can beat this," Gabriella whispered, kissing Troy on the forehead.

Troy's reply was cut off by his father.

"We're here."

Sighing, Troy got out of the car, holding up a hand when Gabriella tried to follow him.

"Let me do this alone," he said, taking her hand in his. Gabriella nodded, seeing the symbolism in his eyes. To Troy, this was the equivalent of giving up his dreams, something he needed to be alone for.

"I love you."

"Love you." Sighing, Troy and Chad walked back to the dorms, slowly, the implications of Troy's diagnosis finally beginning to close in on them.

"So, man, how are you?" Kyle asked, jogging out of the cafeteria as he saw Troy and Chad walking past. It was lunch time. He reached the pair, and his face fell when he saw the look on Troy's. "Troy? Man, what's wrong?"

"I-I'm not coming back, Kyle. I have-I'm sick."

"What do you mean, sick?" Kyle asked, clearly confused.

"Kyle, I-I'm just sick, okay? I don't want to talk about it," Troy said dejectedly. He felt that actually saying the word would make it final, a death sentence.

"Okay," Kyle said, taking the hint and dropping the subject. "We're gonna miss you on the court."

"I'm gonna miss it," Troy sighed, looking wistfully toward the gym.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime," Kyle said, slapping hands with Troy the way every teenage boy high-fives his friends.

"Maybe."

"Bye. Take care of yourself," Kyle said, watching as Troy and Chad walked toward their dorm room. Troy waved a hand over his shoulder, before turning as he thought of something.

"Tell the team I'm sorry. And tell them I said goodbye."

Kyle nodded, and turned back into the lunch room. Troy and Chad continued to the dorms.

* * *

Barely ten minutes later, both were walking out to the Bolton's car, their bags slung over their shoulders. 

"Here's the keys," Troy said, pulling them from his bag and tossing them to his friend.

"See you in New Mexico."

"See you."

Chad continued toward Troy's SUV, while Troy climbed back in next to Gabriella.

"Are we ready?" Jack asked, turning around and looking at his son. Troy nodded, then rested his head tiredly on Gabriella's shoulder, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

* * *

"So, I've looked over your tests, and I have to say I agree with Dr. Wilson's diagnosis." Troy put his head in his hands, unable to look Dr. Michaels in the eye. He was currently sitting at the doctor's desk, his parents on either side of him. Gabriella was waiting right outside the door. 

"What are our options?" Jack asked, trying to remain calm.

"Well, obviously, we can't operate. Radiation therapy might work, but the safest bet is chemotherapy. I'd like to get Troy started on chemo treatments as soon as possible. Further down the line we may need to consider a bone marrow transplant, but we have to wait and see."

"Chemo?" Kellie asked, her voice breaking slightly.

"I know it's not glamorous, but it's Troy's best chance at beating this." Dr. Michaels looked at Troy, resting his pen against the chart on his desk. "It is not going to be easy on you, Troy, but it's in your best interests."

"Fine," he muttered, not looking up. Jack was struggling to reign in his emotions as Kellie lovingly rubbed her son's shoulders.

"When do we start?" she asked, resting her hand on Troy's head.

"I'd like to start him tomorrow. Now, there are risks and side effects I need to warn you about. The drugs used for chemo are very strong, and they usually manage to kill several healthy cells along with the cancer cells. The chemo usually destroys hair follicles, which causes your hair to fall out, and it also erodes the lining of the stomach. Unfortunately, this is the most unpleasant side effect, often resulting in vomiting. We can give you a prescription for Compazine to counteract that, but it is still not pleasant."

Troy had paled considerably by that point, but remarkably remained calm and collected.

"So you want to start tomorrow?" Kellie asked, giving the appearance that she was struggling to wrap her mind around the idea.

"Yes. I can schedule you for an appointment at around 10 or 11 in the morning. If we start now, we can get a lot of the chemo out of the way over the summer, limiting the amount of school time Troy has to miss."

"Let's do it," Troy said suddenly, looking up. "Tomorrow. Let's do it."

* * *

Troy all but ran out of the car into the house the next morning, headed for the bathroom. He had just returned home from his first chemo treatment, and already he was beginning to feel it effects. He threw himself in front of the toilet, emptying his stomach. 

Troy groaned as he fell back onto his heels, waiting for the wave of nausea to pass. He reached up and flushed the toilet, standing shakily and going to the sink. Filling a small paper cup, he rinsed his mouth, utterly disgusted by the thought of doing that every day.

Slowly, he walked back out to the living room, where his mother had laid a blanket and pillow on the couch for him.

"Dr. Michaels said to make sure you rest. He also said to make sure you drink a lot of water."

Troy nodded silently, falling limply onto the couch. He covered himself with the blanket, taking the glass of water his mother offered, and quickly downing the two pills she dropped into his hand.

"Gabriella called. She wanted to know if she could come over to see how you were."

"Whatever," Troy muttered, closing his eyes and leaning heavily against the pillow.

"I'll tell her to come later."

"No. She can come," Troy replied, groaning as another wave of nausea hit him. He jumped up and ran into the bathroom again. Five minutes later he was back out on the couch.

"I'll call her," Kellie said, her heart breaking for her son.

* * *

Troy moaned slightly, resting his head on his arm. He was in the bathroom for the fourth time that day, not pleased at all with the side effects of the chemo. He stayed completely still for another moment, before reaching up to flush the toilet. 

"Troy?" Gabriella asked softly from the doorway. He hadn't even noticed that she had come.

"Hey," he whispered, his cheeks reddening as he realized she had probably heard him throwing up.

"How are you feeling?" Gabriella crossed over to him, kneeling beside him. She brushed his hair back, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

"Honestly? Like crap." Troy lay his head against Gabriella's shoulder, closing his eyes. Gabriella gently rubbed his shoulders, kissing his forehead over and over.

"Gabi?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't leave me, okay?"

"Troy, why would I-"

"Gabi, please, just promise you won't leave me alone. I-I'm so scared, Gabi."

Gabriella felt tears spring into her eyes as she held Troy.  
"Oh, Troy," she whispered, holding him tighter. "I'll never leave you. I'll stay with you the whole time. We're going to get through this."

* * *

A/N: Poor Troy. I feel so mean…:( Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated (as always)! 

Coming in Chapter 7: More chemo. Troy tells his other friends. Gabi starts to break down. The horror!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So, that was a fun chapter. Not… Sorry this one took a little longer, I was busy all weekend. :D This chapter is less Troy puking and more Troy telling friends.

Oh, and I decided that the more chemo and the Gabi break down should come later. This is kind of a filler chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Troy's eyes snapped open as his hand flew to the bedside table. He groped for the alarm clock, gratefully hitting the snooze button and ending the piercing sound. He groaned as he looked up at the ceiling, chinks early morning sunlight coming through the partially closed blinds of the window.

"Troy, get up!" his mother called up the stairs, adding to the already agonizing headache that throbbed behind his temples.

"Coming," he called weakly. Getting out of bed, Troy stumbled out into the hall, walking blindly to the bathroom. He yanked open the medicine cabinet, groping for the bottle of painkillers. Unscrewing the lid, he tipped a few white pills into his hand, tossing them down with water from the sink.

"Troy, you don't want to be late for the first day of school!"

Troy groaned, reaching over to turn the shower on. He braced his hands on the side of the sink, looking into the mirror at his haggard reflection. His face was puffy, and his eyes were bloodshot. His hair had yet to go, but he knew it would be soon. Sighing, he brushed a hand over his eyes, walking over to the shower. Pulling off his pajama pants, he stepped in, letting the steamy water fall over his body, helping to alleviate his headache.

Popping open the cap to the shampoo, he squeezed a decent amount into his palm. Rubbing his hands together, he started to wash his hair. As he stepped back under the water, he noticed that a small clump of hair had gotten clogged in the shower drain.

"So it begins," he sighed heavily, staring at the latest reminder of the reality of his disease.

"Troy, finish up!" His mother had apparently gotten annoyed with his slowness, and was now outside the bathroom door, banging on it loudly.

"I'm coming, mom!" Shutting off the water, Troy pulled back the shower curtain and reached for a towel, wrapping it around the lower half of his body, yanking open the bathroom door.

"Hurry up, you're going to be late," his mother said, moving out of the way as he headed toward the stairs.

"Sorry," Troy muttered, squinting against the light in the hall.

"Troy? Are you-"

"Just a headache, mom."

"Did you take your meds?"

"Yes, mom, I took my meds. Leave me alone," Troy said, walking into his room and shutting the door behind him.

* * *

"Are you okay to drive?" Kellie asked, watching Troy as he walked to the pantry and bent down, pulling out a box of Cheerios.

"I'm fine, mom, it was just an early morning headache. I feel fine now." Troy replied, getting out a bowl and pouring cereal into it.

"But the meds-"

"Morning," Jack said, walking to the coffee pot and pouring himself a cup, sitting at the table with the newspaper.

"Morning," Troy replied, pouring milk over his cereal and sitting down across from his father, digging in with a spoon.

"Jack, do you think you could drive Troy to school today?" Kellie asked, sitting in between her husband and son.

"Mom, I already told you-"

"What's going on?" Jack asked, looking up from the paper.

"I had a headache this morning, I'm fine. Mom's just being her usually over protective self."

"Troy, you know what the painkillers can do, you shouldn't drive after you've taken them."

"Mom, you can watch me like a hawk at home, you can drag me to chemo, hell, you can even watch me sleep if it convinces you I'm not going to drop dead. But please, let me live like everyone else while I'm at school."

"Troy, it's only because I love you."

"Mom, please. I'm only asking this one thing."

"Troy-"

"Kellie, let him go."

Kellie looked incredulously at her husband. "What?"

"Let him go."

"Jack-"

"Thanks, dad," Troy said quickly, jumping up from the table and grabbing his keys off the counter. He kissed both of his parents on the cheek, and grabbed his backpack off the chair by the door.

* * *

"Welcome to the first day of senior year. Welcome to Orientation," Principal Matsui said, standing at the podium in front of the senior class. "This is one of the most important years of your life. College, graduation, planning for your futures-it all takes place this year." He paused, looking around at the students. "Which is why I want you all to know that slacking off will not be condoned. Do not hesitate to think that we will prevent any student who fools around from graduating in June."

Jason turned to Zeke, who was sitting next to him, and the two of them started laughing.

"Mr. Cross, I'm glad to see you've volunteered for detention after school," Matsui said, looking at the basketball player. "See me when we're finished here."

Jason stopped laughing, his face falling.

"Homeroom assignments are posted in the lobby, you're dismissed."

A buzz of voices filled the hall as students stood up, milling around and catching up with friends they hadn't seen all summer.

"Jason, man, that's gotta be a record," Zeke laughed, slapping his friend on the back. They had found their way over to Troy and Gabriella, who in turn were headed toward Chad and Taylor. "I mean, we haven't been in school for half an hour and you've already got detention. Nice job."

They all laughed, as Jason turned bright red.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys in homeroom," he said, headed toward the front of the room where Matsui was waiting for him.

"Troy! Gabi!"

They turned, catching sight of Sharpay striding over.

"We haven't seen you all summer!" she cried, hugging Troy, then Gabriella.

"I've-I've been busy," he said quietly, looking aside at Gabriella. He had forgotten that she, Chad, and Taylor were the only ones who knew about the cancer.

"Yeah, we were at basketball camp all summer," Chad bluffed, sensing his friend's discomfort.

"Oh. Well, tryouts for the fall play are Friday. Can't wait to see you there!" Sharpay said happily, bouncing away.

"Alright, now I know that was a lie," Zeke said to Chad, as the five of them walked toward the lobby.

"What are you talking about?" Chad said, looking uncomfortably at him.

"Alright, I'll play along for now," Zeke said dubiously, missing the flash of pain that crossed Troy's face.

They reached the bulleting board and scanned the lists of twelfth grade homerooms, searching for their names.

"Darbus again," Gabriella groaned, looking at Troy.

"I think we've all got Darbus again," Zeke said, smiling. "Drama room."

He turned, walking in the direction of the drama room.

"You guys coming?"

"Yeah, in a minute," Troy replied, leaning against the wall.

"You okay?" Chad asked, looking concernedly at his friend.

"Yeah, give me a minute. You guys go on."

Chad and Taylor nodded, walking arm in arm down the hall. Gabriella sighed, reaching out to touch Troy's shoulder.

"Troy?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed."

"Do you want to go to the nurse?"

"No. I'm fine, I just need a minute."

Gabriella nodded, taking Troy's hand in hers, locking her fingers protectively in his.

* * *

"What's your schedule?" Jason asked, pulling Troy's paper from his hands as he stuffed his mouth with sandwich. They were sitting in the cafeteria, eating lunch. Jason was sitting by Kelsi, Sharpay by Zeke, Troy by Gabriella, Chad by Taylor, and Ryan was kind of in the middle.

"AP Chem? Geez, when did you get smart?" he asked, throwing the paper back at his friend and snatching someone else's.

"Jason, that was my schedule," Gabriella said, laughing. She placed the paper back into her stack of books, taking a bite of her own sandwich.

"Oh."

"What are you taking?" Kelsi asked, looking over Jason's shoulder at his schedule. She burst out laughing, putting the soda in her hand back on the table. "Drama 1? You are taking Drama?"

Jason turned red, flipping his paper over so no one could see it.

"I figured if Troy could do it, I could," he said sheepishly, eliciting laughs from everyone at the table, excluding Troy, who smiled half-heartedly.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm fine," he said, closing his eyes. He dug in his pocket, coming up with the bottle of painkillers. He popped a few into his hand and swallowed them, much to the surprise of everyone else.

"Troy? What-" Jason began, pulling the bottle from his friend's hands. "These are like, industrial strength. Why-"

Troy sighed. "There's something I need to tell all of you."

He looked at each one of them, not missing the concerned looks everyone gave him.

"I-I have cancer."

* * *

A/N: I didn't care for that chapter. But it had to be done. Ew. Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 8: The chapter in which Troy pukes all over Gabi, Gabi throws a glass at the wall, and Jason sings to cheer Troy up!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: To clear up any confusion, yes the last chapter was supposed to be funny. And yes, some parts of this one are, too. I wanted to lighten the mood before we get into the really heavy stuff.

Anyway, this chapter is like, half angst and half humor. I don't know. Take it however you like. Whatever floats your boat.

P.S.- I hate the first part, but I couldn't think of any other way to get out of that conversation. Sorry. :D Oh, and, Jason singing, I ran out of room, and it will be in the next chapter. Sorry :D

Enjoy!

* * *

"I-I have cancer."

A hush fell over the table, as Troy's friends stared unbelievingly at him.

"This is a joke, right?" Jason asked weakly, looking at Troy, who shook his head. "Oh, my God."

"How long have you known?" Sharpay asked quietly, her face betraying her concern for her friend, as well as her slight annoyance that he hadn't told them.

"A month. I found out when I passed out at basketball camp."

"Why haven't you told us?"

"I don't know," Troy whispered, looking away from his friends. "I just-I didn't want it to be real."

"Oh, Troy, I'm so sorry," Sharpay said, standing up and hugging him. "You know we'll be here for you."

Jason and Zeke nodded their agreement.

"What are friends for?"

* * *

The last bell had rung, and Troy and Gabriella were practically the only people in the hall. Troy leaned against the locker next to Gabriella's, waiting for her to finish putting her books away. She reached for the door, slowly closing it, before standing up to meet Troy's gaze.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching up to kiss him.

"Same as earlier. I can't believe I told them."

"Troy, they had to know. You won't be able to act like nothing's wrong for much longer."

Troy sighed, ducking under her arms to escape her grasp. He started to walk toward the exit, knowing she would follow. "I know, it just seems so real now."

"It _is _real, Troy. I know this is hard for you, but you have to face it."

They reached the door, and Troy held it open for Gabriella.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"Troy, please don't change the subject. We haven't talked about this since you were diagnosed. Please, talk to me."

Troy remained silent until they reached his car, where he opened the passenger door for Gabriella before getting into the driver's seat. She reached across the car for his hand, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Please, Troy, talk to me."

"Gabi, I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can talk to anyone about how I feel."

"Troy, you can trust me. Please, open up to me. We've been together for almost two years. If you can talk to anyone, you can talk to me."

"Gabi, I know I can trust you. I just-I'm not sure what I'm feeling." He paused, turning the key in the ignition. He began to back out of the space, watching through the back window to make sure he didn't hit anything.

"Troy, just try me."

"Gabi, please, can we talk about this later? I'm not in the mood."

"Troy, you've been avoiding the subject for a month now. You're never in the mood," Gabriella complained, staring intently at Troy's profile.

"Gabi, please. I don't think I can talk about it."

"Why, Troy? You haven't done anything wrong. You have no reason to be ashamed, because you have nothing to hide from me."

"Gabi, please, can we drop the subject?"

"Fine." Gabriella sat staring stonily out the window until they reached her house. She opened her door and stepped out, leaning back in to kiss Troy goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, waving as she walked to her front door.

"See you."

Gabriella stood in her doorway, watching Troy drive away. She wiped angrily at the tears that filled her eyes. Turning on her hell, she walked into the house, going into the kitchen.

"I cannot believe him," she said angrily to herself, yanking a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water from the sink. She took a sip, leaning against the counter to collect herself. "All I asked was for him to tell me how he's feeling. He's like an ice man."

"Gabi? Who are you talking to?"

"No one, mom," Gabriella called, draining the rest of the glass of water.

"How was school?" Ms. Montez asked, walking into the kitchen.

"I don't feel like talking about it."

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Mom, please, just leave me alone."

"Gabi-"

"Mom, I'm sorry, I've just had a bad day."

"Alright. I'm going to the store for dinner, I'll be back in half an hour."

"Okay." Ms. Montez grabbed her keys from the counter, and headed out the door. Gabriella watched her leave, tightly gripping the glass in her hand. Her eyes sought the picture of her and Troy that she kept on the fridge. Fresh tears springing to her eyes, she turned and hurled the glass against the far wall, letting it shatter into thousands of glittering pieces.

* * *

"Troy, are you ready?"

"Yeah, mom," Troy sighed heavily, dragging his feet as he walked down the stairs. It was Saturday morning, and time for another chemo treatment.

"I'll go start the car, meet me outside."

"Sure. Whatever," Troy said sarcastically. He walked out the door as slowly as he could, clearly reluctant to go. Reaching the car, he opened the passenger door and sat in the seat. His mom backed out of the driveway, and Troy leaned forward, putting in the CD that he had brought. The piano intro to "Seasons of Love" filled the car, bringing him back to the trip with Chad.

Troy closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat, letting the music wrap around him. He found himself remembering all of the times he had spent with Gabriella, both good and bad. Cursing to himself, he dug in his pocket for his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" his mom asked, taking her eyes off the road for a second.

"Gabi." Troy dialed her number and put the phone to his ear, letting it ring. On the third ring, Gabi picked up.

"Troy?"

"Gabi? Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. Really sorry. I don't know what came over me, but I want to make it up to you. Can you come over later?"

"Troy, I don't-"

"Gabi, please. Come over. I promise you won't regret it."

"Okay, I'll be at your house at 4."

"I love you."

"Love you, too, Troy."

Troy hung up the phone, smiling to himself.

* * *

"Troy, Gabi's here!" his mom called into the living room, letting her into the house.

"Okay," Troy said weakly, adjusting the blanket covering his legs. Gabriella walked into the living room, coming to sit by Troy on the couch.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"Your mom told me you had chemo today. How are you?"

"Not too great. Listen, Gabi, about yesterday. I was out of line, I don't know what came over me."

"Troy, I just wanted you to talk to me."

Troy nodded, but the look on his face seemed off to Gabriella.

"Troy? Are you feeling okay?"

He shook his head, throwing the blanket off his legs. However, suddenly, he gagged, throwing up all over Gabriella's shirt.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, looking supremely embarrassed.

"Um, Troy, it's not your fault," Gabriella said, looking as though she was about to throw up herself.

Troy stood up, trying to wipe her shirt with a towel that he found on the coffee table.

"No, Troy, leave it. I'm-I'm going to go wash up."

"Gabi, really, I feel horrible."

"Troy, it's not your fault. It's okay."

Gabriella started toward the bathroom, but Troy stopped her.

"I'm really sorry," he whispered, kissing her gently. "About everything."

* * *

A/N: I hated that chapter too. LOL Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 9: Jason sings! And I don't know what else yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Sorry for the general suckiness of the last chapter. I don't know what came over me. I wasn't feeling too great and just really wanted to get the chapter out. I am really sorry that it wasn't my best work. I hope this chapter is better.

Oh, and I'm sorry this took so long :D

Yes, Jason will sing in this chapter. This chapter takes place a few weeks after the last one.

Enjoy!

* * *

Troy let his head fall into his English book, the monotone voice of Ms. Walker becoming background noise as his eyes slipped closed. English was one of his favorite classes, but he was having trouble concentrating. It had taken all of his strength to last until fifth period, and he was utterly exhausted.

"Troy Bolton, are we boring you?"

"Huh?" Troy's head shot up, his eyes darting around wild.

"Stay awake. There's fifteen minutes left in the period." Ms. Walker turned back to the board, returning to her lecture on John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath."

"Sorry," Troy whispered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The class giggled behind him, turning back to their notebooks.

"You okay?" Chad asked quietly, leaning forward from the seat behind Troy's.

"What? Yeah, fine. Just tired."

Chad sat back, and Troy let his head fall softly into his book, unable to support it any longer.

"Alright, you can have the last ten minutes to yourselves," Ms. Walker said, closing her book. "Read chapters 4 through 8 for homework." She sat behind her desk and began to grade papers, tuning out the sudden noise that filled the small classroom.

"Troy, are you sure you're okay?" Sharpay leaned over from the next row, placing her hand on Troy's shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said, closing his book and getting his stuff ready to leave. He found himself wishing that he was with Gabriella, but she and Taylor were in AP English, while the others were in Honors. Zeke and Jason were in regular English.

"Why don't you go to the nurse?" she asked, putting a hand to his forehead to feel for a fever. Troy swatted her hand away.

"Only three more periods. I think I can make it."

"Troy, you're practically falling asleep. Why don't you at least go lay down for a while?" Chad asked, looking concerned at his friend.

"We have lunch next. I'll take a nap in the caf," Troy replied, putting his head back onto his arm.

The bell rang, forcing him to lift his head.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ms. Walker said, erasing the board for her next class. "Don't forget to read the chapters!"

"Not likely," Troy muttered, picking up his books and leaving the classroom, followed closely by Sharpay and Troy.

"I swear, this book has to be the worst book ever written," Ryan complained, jogging to catch up with them as the left the classroom.

"You're not kidding," Chad said, pausing before turning to go to his locker. "I'll see you guys at lunch."

Sharpay, Ryan and Troy continued, Troy turning off when he reached the hall that his locker was in.

"See you," he said, waving as he walked to his locker. Spinning the combination, he pulled open the door, bending down to retrieve his books for seventh period. Reaching to the shelf above, he took out his lunch, slowly closing the door. Gabriella appeared behind the door, startling him.

"Hey," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him gently.

"Hey," he whispered back, returning the embrace. "How long were you standing there?"

"About a minute. You look horrible, are you feeling okay?" Gabriella asked, putting a hand to his forehead.

"I didn't get much sleep last night. My stomach decided to go to war with the chemo."

"I'm sorry," Gabriella whispered, kissing him again.

"Don't be. I'm better now," he said, knowing she'd catch his meaning. Troy dipped his face toward hers again, moving to kiss her again.

"Mr. Bolton, Ms. Montez, this is not a movie theater," Darbus's voice came from across the hall, causing the couple to break apart. "The bell is about to ring, get to class."

"Sorry," Gabriella muttered, her cheeks coloring as she grabbed Troy's hand and pulled him down the hall.

* * *

"Where were you guys?" Chad asked, moving to allow room for Gabriella and Troy to sit at the lunch table.

"Darbus caught us kissing in the hall," Gabriella said, smiling embarrassedly as she thought of it.

"Oh," Chad said understandingly, locking eyes with Zeke and Jason and laughing.

"Guys, please, grow up," Troy said irritably, pulling out his lunch and starting to eat.

"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed," Ryan said, looking concernedly at Troy.

"I've just had a rough night, okay?" Troy said.

"Well, I know how to cheer you up," Jason said, standing and coming to stand behind Troy's chair.

"I don't want to know," Gabriella said, shaking her head as Jason leaned forward to place his hands on Troy's shoulders. All of a sudden, he broke into a very off-key, a capella rendition of "Breaking Free."

"_We're soaring, flying,_

_there's not a star in heaven that we can't see-"_

"Reach," Troy interrupted, smiling as he corrected Jason. Jason swatted at his head, moving back to his side of the table and beginning to wave his arms dramatically as he sang.

"_If we're trying, so we're breaking free._

_You know the world can see us_

_In way that's different than what-"_

"Who," Gabriella corrected, giggling. Jason made a face, starting back in on the song, lengthening the notes on purpose.

"_-we are. Creating space between us,_

_Till we're separate arms-"_

"Hearts," Troy said, finally smiling.

"I told you it would work," Jason taunted, smiling at his friend as he sat down. The entire table was laughing, making fun of Jason's butchering of the song.

"Thanks," Troy said, a genuine smile gracing his features as he laughed with his friends.

"Yeah, but Jason?" Sharpay said, smiling broadly.

"Hmm?"

"Never do that again. Please."

The table laughed again, turning back to their lunches. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella, turning back to his friends and laughing.

* * *

"Can you come over and help me with my math homework?" Troy asked Gabriella later that day as they stood at his locker while he got his books out. Gabriella had already retrieved her backpack. "Those few days in the hospital kind of set me back and I'm having trouble catching up."

"Sure. Let me just call me mom when we get outside."

Troy shut his locker, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaning in to kiss Gabriella. She smiled, putting a finger over his lips and pushing him away gently.

"Let me call my mom," she said, giggling as Troy tickled her ribs. "Troy, stop it!"

"Alright, alright," he smiled, draping an arm around her shoulders as they walked out to his car. Gabriella dug out her cell phone, calling her mom to tell her about the delay.

"What do you need help with?" Gabriella asked, getting into Troy's car and buckling her seat belt as he started the engine.

"Inverse functions," Troy said, looking out the back window as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Oh, that's easy," Gabriella said, looking out the window.

"Yeah, for you, freaky math girl," Troy teased, pulling onto the main road. Gabriella smiled, reaching across the car to squeeze Troy's hand. In a few minutes, they reached his house. Troy shut off the car, and they got out.

"I'm gonna check the mail, I'll be right in," Troy said, tossing her his house key. She nodded, and he walked to the mailbox. Reaching in, he pulled out the small stack of letters and magazines, beginning to sort them as he walked to the front door.

"Bill, bill, Reader's Digest, bill, bill," his hand stopped as he reached a letter addressed to him. The return address read Duke University. Stopping in his steps, he slid his finger along the seal, opening the envelope and practically ripping the letter out. He scanned it quickly continuing to walk toward the house.

"What's that?" Gabriella asked, dropping her bag on the kitchen chair and walking to her boyfriend.

"It's a letter from Duke," he replied, his face unreadable.

* * *

A/N: Well, that was more humor than I intended. Oh well. Reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 10: What is in the letter? What is Troy's prognosis?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: I am so sorry that this chapter took longer. I was pretty sick the past couple of days and was pretty much high on Nyquil most of the time, so I didn't feel like typing because I knew it wouldn't be my best work. And then I had it ready two days ago, but my Document Manager went all pyscho on me and wouldn't let me upload any documents. I was so mad I almost threw my computer out the window. Good thing I didn't. LOL Once again, sorry :D

Anyway, this chapter is a little more serious than the past few. I'm not exactly sure how many chapters are left, but there is still plenty of drama to come!

Enjoy!

* * *

"It's a letter from Duke," Troy said, his face unreadable.

"Duke?" Gabriella asked incredulously, moving to stand closer to Troy.

"They talked to me at camp this summer. Now they want me to visit campus," he said, handing her the letter. "They're sending a scout to the first game of the season."

"Oh, Troy, that's wonderful!" Gabriella cried, throwing her arms around him happily. Troy looked away, clearly not sharing the same feelings as Gabriella.

"Troy? What's wrong?"

"Gabi, they're sending a scout. To watch me play. What if-what if I can't play again?"

Gabriella's face fell when she realized what Troy was worried about.

"Troy, don't think like that. You will be able to play again," she said, tenderly brushing his hair from his face.

"But what if I can't play this year? Gabi, most days I can barely get out of bed without wanting to throw up or pass out. How am I supposed to play basketball?"

"Troy, you'll find a way. I know you will. You are one of the strongest people I know."

"Gabi, I don't even know if I'm going to make it to graduation. How can I think about college?"

Gabriella felt tears prick her eyes as she listened to Troy. "Troy, please don't talk like that. You're not going to die."

Troy looked away from her, hiding his own tears. "Gabi, your future is certain. I might not even have one."

"Troy, please," Gabriella pleaded, reaching out to him, pulling his face back towards her. He broke from her grip, sitting in one of the chairs and putting his head into his hands. Gabriella walked over to him, moving a chair and sitting down, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly.

"Troy? Please look at me," she said, sliding closer and lying her head on his shoulder.

"Gabi, I need a little time to myself right now. I need to think through a few things," Troy said quietly, looking away from Gabriella.

"Troy, don't shut me out again. We can talk through this together."

Troy folded his arms on the table, placing his head on them. Gabriella sighed, closing her eyes as tears began to slide down her face.

"Troy?"

He continued to ignore her, forcing her to move away.

"Troy, please don't do this again. Please talk to me."

Troy's head shot up, and she saw that he was crying.

"Gabriella, please leave me alone. I'll talk to you later, okay? Just let me deal with this alone."

"Fine," she said angrily, standing up. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

She turned to leave, but Troy called her back.

"Gabi, don't go away mad."

She wheeled around to face him, clearly upset.

"Don't go away mad? But you do want me to go away, right Troy?"

He sighed heavily, putting a hand to his head and frowning.

"Gabi, I don't mean it like that."

"Then how do you mean it, Troy? I just want to help you, but you keep turning me away."

Troy stood up, reaching out to Gabriella, trying to calm her.

"Please, Gabi, this is hard for me. I've just-I've never needed help before. I'm not used to asking for it."

Gabriella jerked her arm from his grasp.

"Troy, I realize that, but I can't help you if you don't let me. You keep shutting me out."

"Maybe I don't want this to be real!" Troy shouted, his raised voice betraying his anger and annoyance. "Maybe asking for help would make this too real. I don't want to die, Gabi."

"Troy, you're not going to die."

"It's easy enough for you to say that. You're not the one who's spent the last few months in and out of the hospital. Your not the one who spends most of their time in the bathroom throwing up everything reaches your stomach. Sometimes, Gabi, I wish I _would _die."

"Troy, please don't talk like that," Gabriella pleaded, reaching out to brush her hand against his shoulder. "You don't want to die."

"Gabi, you don't know what it's like. Every morning I wake up and I think everything is normal. Then it hits me. I have cancer. Cancer."

"Troy, I know I can't possibly understand how you feel. But I want to help you. I need to help you. This hurts me just as much as it hurts you."

Troy looked away, closing his eyes.

"Gabi, I don't want to hurt you."

"Then let me help you, Troy," Gabriella pleaded, stepping closer. "Please let me help you. We can make it through this. Together."

Troy sighed, swiping at the tears that had begun to flow down his cheeks. Gabriella stepped forward, reaching out to brush away the tears. She leaned in closer, brushing her lips against Troy's cheek, then kissing him gently.

"Please, Troy," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder.

Troy held her close, resting his own head on top of hers.

"Okay. I'll try," he replied, closing his eyes as more tears slipped from under his eyelids.

* * *

"How is he doing, Dr. Michaels?" Kellie asked, looking expectantly at the doctor as he sat behind his desk. She was tightly gripping her husband's hand as they waited to discuss Troy's prognosis with the doctor.

The doctor sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm a little bit concerned about his last round of blood work."

"Concerned? Why?" Jack asked, his fingers turning white as Kellie increased the pressure she was exerting on them.

"Frankly, I don't feel that the numbers are where they should be after five rounds of chemo."

"What does that mean?" Kellie asked.

"I don't think Troy is responding to the treatments as well as he should be. For someone his age, and in his physical condition-"  
"Just cut to the chase," Jack cut in, his voice raised slightly. "What does this all mean?"

"I think it might be a good idea to consider beginning to look for a bone marrow donor. Just in case."

"Bone marrow donor?" Kellie asked, her complexion paling considerably. "But isn't it hard to find a match?"

Dr. Michaels nodded. "Which is why I think it would be a good idea to start looking. If we start now, the chances we'll find a match by the time Troy needs the procedure are a lot better than if we wait. Besides, there's still a chance he won't even need the transplant, that he'll begin to respond to the treatments."

"Do it," Jack said, staring the doctor down. "Whatever you need to do, do it. Just don't let my son die."

* * *

Troy stood in front of the basketball hoop in his backyard, holding a ball in his hands. He twirled the ball in his hands, trying to decide what to do. Making up his mind, he set up and shot the ball, cursing silently when it hit the backboard and bounced off.

"Come on," he whispered to himself, retrieving the ball and trying again. The second shot bounced off the rim, closer than the first but not close enough. Groaning, Troy picked the ball up again. The third shot wasn't even close.

His mind made up, Troy shot basket after basket until his arms felt like they were going to fall off.

"Troy?" his father walked out from the house, clearly worried about his son. "Troy, what are you doing?"

"Practicing," Troy grunted, setting up and taking another shot. It hit the rim, spinning around before falling into the basket. "I've only made fifteen in the last ten minutes."

Jack frowned, walking over to his son. "Troy, you're going to overexert yourself. You know you're not supposed to strain yourself too much."

"Dad, I have to practice," Troy replied, taking another shot. He smiled with triumph when it fell cleanly through the basket.

"Troy, this is suicide. You're going to kill yourself if you stay out here," Jack said, noticing the pain that crossed his son's face as he made the last shot. "You're hurting yourself."

"Dad, just let me practice. I need to be in game shape for the season. I have to impress the scout from Duke."

Understanding dawned on Jack's face. "Troy, is that what this is about? The letter from Duke?"

"Yup." Troy took another shot, frowning when it bounced out of the basket.

"Troy, stop it and look at me," Jack said, stepping in front of his son. Troy ignored him, setting up another shot. "Troy!"

"What!"

"Give me the ball."

Troy threw the ball at his father, turning and stalking into the house.

"Troy? Troy, get back here!" Jack called after his son in vain. He distinctly heard Troy's car start in the driveway, and the screeching of tires as Troy peeled away. "Troy!"

* * *

A/N: That's kind of a cliffhanger. Kinda sorta. Maybe. Who knows. Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always. I know this wasn't my best work, but please forgive me. I'm still sick, and my brain is kind of scrambled. :D

Moment of Shameless Self Promotion: If you read my story, "This is How a Heart Breaks," go nominate it for something at the HSM fanfiction awards under the Forums. LOL Or nominate another story. Whatever, just thought I'd throw it out there :D

Coming in Chapter 11: Something happens to Troy. Another visit to the hospital. Wouldn't it be funny if Chad dyed his hair pink?


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Once again, I'd like to apologize for the delay of the last chapter. But you all forgive me, right? Lol

I'm glad you all think it would be funny if Chad dyed his hair pink. Hehe. It won't happen in this chapter, but it will. It will.

This chapter picks up after Troy goes all psycho on his dad.

Enjoy!

* * *

Jack sat in the living room with the newspaper in his lap, Kellie sitting next to him with an untouched novel in her lap. Sighing, she put her hand to her head, distracting her husband.

"What?"

"I can't believe you let him run away."

"Kellie, we've been over this. There was nothing I could do."

"Jack, he's sick. And now he's angry. How could you just let him walk right past you?"

"Kellie-" Jack's reply was cut off by the phone.

"I'll get it," Kellie said, placing her book on the coffee table and standing up. She walked into the kitchen, lifting the phone off the hook.

"Hello?"

"Is this the Bolton residence?"

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"

"Mrs. Bolton, my name is Dr. Cameron from the ER at Albuqueque General Hospital. I'm calling regarding your son, Troy."

Kellie felt her stomach drop, and she tightened her grip on the phone. "What happened?"

"Troy was in a minor car accident a few hours ago. I'm currently treating him for minor injuries."

"Christ," Kellie whispered, putting a hand over her eyes. "We'll be right there." She hung up the phone, grabbing her purse off the counter and walking into the living room.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, clearly confused.

"We're going to the hospital," Kellie said, tossing him his car keys.

"What?"

"Troy was in an accident."

Jack cursed quietly, standing quickly and following his wife to his car.

* * *

"Can you tell me where my son is?" Kellie inquired politely at the Admit desk when they arrived at the ER.

"Name?" the harried nurse at the desk asked, barely looking up at Kellie and Jack.

"Troy Bolton."

The nurse paused, glancing at the white board behind her before turning back.

"Curtain 4, second curtain on the left.."

"Thank you." Kellie nodded at the nurse, then grabbed Jack's hand and they set off down the hall. They reached the curtain and she pulled it back apprehensively. Troy was sitting on the bed, dangling his legs over the edge. He was holding a wad of gauze to a cut on his forehead, but other than that he appeared fine.

"Oh, thank God," Kellie breathed, rushing forward and hugging Troy. "We were so worried."

"Mom, I'm fine," Troy said, pushing her away.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jack asked, glaring at his son.

"Dad, I-"

Troy was cut off when a young doctor pulled back the curtain. He appeared to be in his late twenties, clean-cut and quite handsome. The name tag on his lab coat read "Dr. Cameron."

"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton?"

They nodded, turning to shake hands with the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Cameron, I've been treating Troy. Luckily, his injuries weren't too severe. Minor concussion, thirteen stitches to the head, and a minor wrist sprain. With his condition, we were worried about-"

"But he's okay?" Kellie interrupted, prompting an affirmative response from the doctor.

"It appears that he blacked out at the wheel, lost control of the car, and hit a tree. Other than the momentary blackout, there don't seem to be any other complications from the leukemia. As a precaution, I've paged Dr. Michaels, who's coming down in a few minutes. After that I see no reason why we can't send Troy home."

"Thank you, doctor," Jack said, shaking his hand. The doctor nodded, pulling back the curtain as he left.

* * *

"Well, to be completely honest, I'm astonished Troy was even driving," Dr. Michaels said, sitting opposite Troy's parents as they talked in the ER. Troy was sitting on the bed, watching the exchange between his parents and doctor.

"We didn't realize he got in the car," Jack said quietly, clearly annoyed at himself.

"Have you been driving to school?" the doctor asked, directing the question at Troy, who nodded feebly.

"I thought I made it clear that the drugs used for chemotherapy are extremely potent. Driving while using them, even after several weeks, well-" Dr. Michaels let the sentence hang, glancing suggestively at the bandage on Troy's forehead.

Troy hung his head, clearly upset by the doctor's admonishment.

"I can guarantee he won't be driving again any time soon," Jack said, glaring at his son. Kellie had moved to sit next to him on the bed, rubbing his shoulders in a motherly gesture. Dr. Michaels nodded, standing and signing Troy's chart.

"Everything seems to be fine, but try to keep a closer reign on him," he said, shaking hands with all three. "I'll see you next week."

* * *

"Keys," Jack said when they walked into the house, holding out his hand to Troy. Troy reluctantly took them out of his pocket, dropping them into his father's palm.

"I'm going to start dinner," Kellie said, anticipating the argument that was about to occur. Jack acknowledged her statement with a wave of his hand, taking Troy by the arm and pulling him into the living room.

"I can't believe you were so irresponsible," he half-shouted, releasing Troy from his grip. "You could have been killed."

"Dad, I'm fine. Nothing happened."

"Nothing happened? Troy, you crashed your car into a tree. You needed stitches. You're damn lucky I didn't kill you myself."

"Dad, chill out. I just needed-"

"What you need is to grow up. This is your life you're playing with, Troy. This isn't a game."

"Dad-"

"Troy, shut up and listen. You just can't act like this. Maybe before it would have been alright, but now-"

"Dad, I'm sick, I'm not broken."

Jack shook his head, trying to clear the tears that clouded his eyes.

"Troy, your mother and I just want to keep you safe."

"It doesn't matter what you do, Dad. I'm still going to be sick. Nothing's going to change that. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die."

Jack sat heavily on the couch, putting his head in his hands.

"You sound so much older than you are," he said wistfully, looking up at Troy. "It's like you've aged years in the last few months. I just-we don't know how to deal with this, Troy. Losing a child, it's like losing a part of you."

"Dad, you're not losing me. At least not yet."

* * *

A/N: That was a little shorter than normal, but I wanted to end it there. Kind of intense, but I wanted it there. Reviews greatly appreciated as always!

Coming in Chapter 12: Chad dyes his hair pink! Troy deals with the Duke thing.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. I don't own J.J. Reddick, either. :D

A/N: Well, that last chapter was interesting. LOL Yes, this chapter has the long awaited dying of Chad's hair. YAY! LOL For anyone who cares, this chapter is actually based off a true story. My cousin had lymphoma and when she lost her hair her boyfriend dyed his neon green so people would stare at him instead. Random moment, lol. :D

Random Moment of the Chapter: AAHHH,4 days till Degrassi!

Enjoy!

* * *

Troy stepped out of the passenger side of his dad's car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Jack turned the car off and got out, retrieving his briefcase from the backseat.

"Have a good day," he called after Troy as he walked toward the school. Troy waved a hand behind him in acknowledgement, not even turning to say goodbye as he walked into the school.

"Hey, Troy!" Sharpay said excitedly, running up to him in the hall.

"Hey."

"What happened to your head?" she asked, her wide smile falling when she saw the bandages on his head and wrist.

"Nothing."

"Oh." Sharpay paused, thinking, before shrugging her shoulders and smiling again. "So, Ms. Darbus just announced auditions for the Fall Musical. Are you trying out?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know if I can."

"Please, Troy, you and Gabi _have _to audition," Sharpay pleaded, grabbing Troy's hand dramatically. "I don't know if we can survive without you."

Troy smiled, shaking his head slightly.

"Please, Troy," Sharpay cried, placing a hand on her head and pretending to faint.

"Alright, alright, cut the drama. I'll audition."

Sharpay squealed excitedly, kissing him on the cheek before practically skipping off down the hall.

"What was that about?" Gabriella asked quietly, coming up behind him and surprising him. Troy smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her gently.

"Auditions," he whispered, holding her close to him. The people in the hall surged around them, grumbling and complaining that they were blocking the way. Troy grabbed Gabriella's arm and led her to the side of the hall, kissing her again. She smiled broadly, but the smile turned to a frown when she realized that Troy was bandaged.

"What happened?" she asked, reaching out to gently touch the bandage on his forehead.

"I crashed my car into a tree last night. Thirteen stitches," Troy said, swatting her hand away.

"Troy, why didn't you call me? You should have told me."

"Gabi, I'm fine. It was nothing, okay?"

Gabriella shook her head, ducking from under Troy's arms and walking down the hall, leaving him to follow. Troy jogged to catch up to her, reaching out and grabbing her arm. He turned her to face him.

"Gabi, it's not that big of a deal. I'm fine, aren't I?"

"But what if you weren't? God, Troy, what if you had to stay in the hospital, and I didn't even know you were hurt? What if something serious had happened?"

"Gabi, it really isn't that important. I would have called you if I thought you'd be like this."

"Like this? What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're blowing the whole thing out of proportion," Troy said, releasing his grip on her arm.

"Troy, I love you. I love you so much, sometimes it hurts. But obviously you don't feel the same, because you would have called me last night." Gabriella turned on her heel and stalked down the hall, refusing to look back.

"Gabi! Gabi, come on!" Troy called after her. She didn't respond.

* * *

Troy stood in front of his locker, absently throwing books into it. He knew the first bell would ring soon, signaling the start of the school day, but he couldn't bring himself to get out his first period books, not after the fight he'd just had with Gabriella. It seemed like all the did lately was fight.

"Somebody looks depressed," Chad said, walking up and leaning against the locker next to Troy's. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

Troy sighed, taking out his Trig book. "Gabi and I had a fight. Again."

"Sorry, man," Chad said, patting Troy on the back.

"Whatever," Troy said half-heartedly, digging through books to find his notebook.

"Well, I think I have something that will cheer you up."

"What?" Troy asked, standing up and snapping the locker door shut. Chad reached up and pulled off his baseball cap, shaking out his hair. Troy's jaw dropped.

"You-what-" he stammered, cracking a smile as he looked at his friend. Chad smiled. His hair was neon pink from root to end, the shocking color practically burning into Troy's eyes.

"I figured that, since you have no hair, everyone's going to stare at you. So, now they'll stare at me instead."

Troy was staring speechlessly at Chad, overcome with emotion.

"Th-thanks," he managed to stammer, reaching out to clap his shoulder.

"Hey, man, no problem."

* * *

"Gabi, can I talk to you?" Troy asked later that day, catching up to her in the hallway.

"What do you want, Troy?" Gabriella asked, ignoring him as she walked down the hall.

"Gabi, please, I'm really sorry. I just didn't know you'd be that upset."

"Upset? Troy, you should have told me."

"Gabi, can you please just accept my apology? I really am sorry."

"Troy, I don't want to do this right now. Not here."

"Gabi, please, calm down."

"Troy, we have some serious issues we need to work out. If you don't think it's necessary to tell me when you crash your car, will you think it's necessary to tell me when the doctors give you a limit? Will I even know if you're dying, Troy? Or am I not allowed to find out?" With that, Gabriella turned on her heel and stalked down the hallway.

"Gabi, please don't do this now. Gabi!"

"Troy, I'm finished. I'll see you at lunch."

Groaning angrily, Troy kicked a small wad of paper on the floor, attracting the attention of students headed to class.

* * *

"Troy, your dad wants to see you in his office," Ms. Walker said, reading the note sent to her classroom. Troy looked up, alarmed, before grabbing his books and walking out of the classroom. Within minutes he found his way to the locker room, knocking on the door of his father's office.

"Dad?"

"Troy? Is that you? Come in."

Troy walked into the office, noticing that another man was sitting across from his dad, a Duke baseball cap on his head. He stood up when Troy walked into the room, holding out his hand. Troy shook it tentatively, clearly confused.

"Troy, this is Mark Lucas, from Duke. He wants to talk to you."

"Troy, your father's told me a lot about your game. He's also explained your situation."

Troy sat down heavily, watching the scout intently.

"Troy, we'd like you to know that we're still very interested in you as a candidate for our team. Your father's agreed to supply us with some tape of your best games, and we also hope that we'll get to see you play this season."

Troy gaped, still obviously confused.

"We want you to know that the offer to visit campus still stands if you want it. We've matched you up with one of our best players, J.J.-"

"Reddick?" Troy asked breathlessly, awestruck.

"Yes. If you come to campus, you'll be matched for an entire weekend with him. He'll show you around campus, take you around the town. I hope you'll take us up on this offer."

Troy looked at his father, then back at Mark, then back at his dad, before swallowing heavily. "Okay."

* * *

A/N: Wherever J.J. Reddick is, I'm sorry if I spelled his name wrong. And I'm sorry if he doesn't want me to use him. LOL Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 13: Troy deals with the Gabi fight thing.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: So I guess I spelled J.J.'s name wrong, but I'll let you into a little secret of the plot: it won't matter anyway. We won't be seeing him again. That's all I'm going to say about that.

So, I'm sorry this took so long. We just got on spring break, and last week I had a billion tests to take. What kind of sadistic teacher gives you a test on two pre-calculus chapters the last day of school? Really? So, anyway, I meant to post this Friday, but my brother was in a play and then Degrassi came on and I kind of lost track. Then Saturday I meant to do it, but…you know what, nobody really cares, do you? So, once again, if anyone is still reading this, please don't eat my head for the delay. I'll try to post a chapter a day, maybe every other day, over break.

Random Moment of the Chapter: I love William Moseley!

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, what was that all about?" Chad asked, falling into step beside Troy as they walked toward the cafeteria.

"Huh? Oh, my dad had a scout from Duke in his office," Troy said distractedly, seeming to look through Chad rather than at him.

"Duke? That's awesome!" Chad held up a hand for Troy to slap, but it fell to his side a moment later. "All right, you're obviously not feeling the love. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Troy, I've known you forever. What is it? Is it Gabi?"

Troy remained silent, turning abruptly into the cafeteria and walking briskly toward their table. Chad jogged to catch up, sliding into his customary spot at the table next to Troy.

"Come on, man, is it Gabi?"

"Maybe," Troy muttered, pulling out his sandwich and unwrapping it, gazing past Chad. Gabriella was sitting at a table across the room, deliberately avoiding looking at Troy. Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay were eating with her.

"What's going on?" Jason asked, pulling out his chair as he, Ryan, and Zeke arrived at the table, sitting down to eat.

"Troy and Gabi had a fight," Chad informed him, taking out his own sandwich and taking a bite.

"Again?" Jason complained, looking over at the girls' table. "Don't you two ever do anything but fight?"

"Did you ever think that it might not be any of your business?" Troy snapped, glaring at Jason.

"Alright, calm down," Chad said, placing himself between the two.

"Chad, stay out of this," Jason said, turning back to Troy.

"Why do you care what happens with me and Gabriella?"

"Because whenever you fight the rest of us have to deal with pissy Troy until you make up. Why don't you just go over there and apologize for whatever you did?"

"Jason, shut the hell up," Troy warned, standing up and staring his friend down.

"Well, Christ, Troy, since we got back to school all you've been is moody. Don't take your romantic problems out on us," Jason countered, standing up and matching Troy's height. Troy took a step toward Jason.

"Why can't you ever keep your mouth shut, Jason?"

"Alright, guys, let's just chill. Come on, calm down," Chad asked, placing one hand on each of his friends' chests to keep them apart.

"Chad, stay out of this," Troy said, pushing his hand away and taking another step toward Jason, who did the same.

"Yeah, Chad, stay out of it," Jason said, mocking Troy. Troy hissed through his teeth and stepped forward, shoving Jason hard in the chest. Jason reacted by shoving Troy back into the table, pinning him. Troy locked his arms around Jason's forearms, pushing him back.

Shouts broke out around the cafeteria as people encouraged the fight. Gabriella looked up, almost immediately jumping up and running toward Troy when she saw him locked in a fight with Jason. Chad was attempting to pull Troy away while Zeke had latched onto Jason's arms.

"Troy!" Gabriella shouted, reaching him and trying to call his attention from the fight. "Troy, come on, stop this."

Troy ignored her, struggling against Chad's grip to try and get to Jason again.

"Come on," Chad was saying, practically dragging his friend away into the hall. Gabriella followed, placing a hand on Troy's forearm as Chad slammed him into a wall.

"What the hell was that for?" Troy asked, shoving Chad away.

"You're acting completely out of line," Chad said, grabbing his friend to keep him from returning to the cafeteria. "What is wrong with you?"

Troy didn't answer, merely turning his head, and trying to hide the tears forming in his eyes.

"Troy?" Gabriella whispered, reaching out and turning his face toward her. He wrenched his face away, turning and slamming his left hand into the wall.

"Troy!" Chad and Gabriella shouted simultaneously, rushing forward. Troy was cradling his sprained wrist to his chest as he slid down the wall.

"Oh my, God, Troy, why did you do that?" Gabriella asked, kneeling next to him and taking his wrist in her hands, looking into his eyes. "You could have broken your wrist!"

Troy refused to look at her, but merely gazed blankly at a spot over her shoulder. Gabriella turned despairingly to Chad.

"I'm gonna go get Coach," he said, turning and running down the hall. Gabriella turned back to Troy, reaching out to him.

"Troy? Please, look at me."

"Gabi?" Troy asked quietly, finally looking at her.

"Troy, you scared me. Why did you do that?"

"Gabi, I'm sorry."

"Why did you start a fight with Jason?"

"Gabi, I don't even know," Troy whispered, putting his face in his hands as he began to cry. "I-I don't know."

Gabriella looked at him uncertainly, clearly unnerved by the unpredictable course. his emotions had just run. She pulled him into her arms, letting him cry onto her shoulder.

"You promised you'd never leave me," he whispered, holding onto as though she was the only thing keeping him alive.

"I won't. Not again," she comforted, continuing to hug him. They remained locked in each other's arms on the floor of the hallway until Chad returned with Troy's father.

* * *

Troy placed a CD in his stereo, pressing the button and turning the volume up. Immediately the thump of the bass vibrated throughout the room, comfortingly filling the empty space. Sighing, Troy flopped onto his bed, putting his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling.

_"You can take the one thing I have left,_

_I'd give it all away for so much less-"_

Troy groaned and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow. His father had signed him out of school and taken him home immediately, thanking Chad and Gabriella for stopping Troy from hurting himself.

_"You can even take the heart inside my chest-"_

As he lay there his wrist gave a slight twinge, reminding him of the stupidity of his actions earlier that day. What scared him most was that he had had no control whatsoever over his actions. The fight with Jason, hitting the wall-none of it.

_"You can take the one thing I have left,_

_Beat me to the ground and take my breath-"_

"Troy? Gabriella's here," his mom said quietly, sticking her head into his room. Her tone of voice immediately told Troy that she knew. She was talking to him as though he were about to break.

_"But you can't take who I am-"_

Gabriella walked into the room, shutting off the stereo as she went to sit on his bed.

"How are you?" she asked softly, gently rubbing his back.

"I have no idea what happened today." Troy whispered, keeping his face buried in his pillow. "I don't know why I did it."

"Troy, it's alright. You're stressed. It's understandable."

Sighing, Troy flipped over, looking at her. "Gabi, I got into a fight with one of my closest friends. I almost broke my hand against a wall. I have no idea what came over me. It's like-it's like I can't control my actions."

Gabriella leaned forward, kissing his forehead. "No one blames you, Troy."

"No, Gabi, you don't understand. I feel out of control. Like, something's wrong."

Gabriella paused, looking at him.

"Like what?"

"I think I'm going crazy."

* * *

A/N: Well, that was fun. Not. Kind of angsty. Once again, sorry for the mammoth delay. Please review, reviews are greatly appreciated, as always. :D Love you guys!

Coming in Chapter 14: Troy visits his doctor. Gabi and Troy come to an agreement.

Credit Where Credit is Due: The song was "The One Thing I Have Left," by Hawk Nelson. If you don't know them, go listen to one of their songs. They rock!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Well, I'm glad you all liked that chapter. If this chapter is kind of weird, it's because I'm totally watching "The Ten Commandments" right now. This movie rocks! LOL

This chapter explains some things. And other stuff happens. Yay other stuff! LOL

No, Troy is not bi-polar. At least, not in this fic…

Random Moment of the Chapter: I heart Prison Break!

Enjoy!

* * *

Troy sat in the waiting room of Dr. Michaels office, tapping his foot incessantly. He was sitting between his mother and father, waiting to be called in to see the doctor. Sighing, Troy shifted, beginning to tap his other foot. His father shot him a glare, and Troy stopped.

"Troy Bolton?" the receptionist said, poking her head into the room. He stood, walking over to her. "You can go on into room 3, Dr. Michaels will be right in."

Troy nodded, and walked down the hall to the exam room where he sat on the table, waiting patiently for the oncologist to arrive. He let his feet swing slightly as he sat, tapping his fingers on the paper covering the table. After what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, Dr. Michaels walked in.

"Hello, Troy," he said, picking up his chart and flipping through the pages.

"Hey," Troy said quietly, looking at his feet. Dr. Michaels put the chart down and pulled a stool over in front of Troy, sitting down.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked, taking his stethoscope and listening to Troy's breathing and heart rate.

"Alright, I guess."

"Any pain?" Troy shook his head. "Dizziness, weakness, faint spells?"

"Only right after chemo."

Dr. Michaels nodded, writing on the chart. He placed his fingers along the side of Ray's neck, feeling for swollen lymph nodes.

"Your mom said on the phone that you started a fight with your friend the other day. She's worried about you."

"It was nothing," Troy said, reluctant to tell the doctor what he had told Gabriella.

"Have you talked to anyone, Troy?" Dr. Michaels asked, sitting back on the stool and looking at Troy.

"About the fight?"

"No, about being sick. It helps to talk."

"Why? What good does talking do? It won't cure me," Troy said bitterly, staring down the doctor.

"But it will help with you emotions. Troy, you can't bottle everything up. It isn't healthy. It can lead to outbursts even worse than fist fights with a friend. It can lead to depression, mental instability, even suicidal tendencies."

Troy looked down at the floor again. Dr. Michaels noticed this and immediately became concerned.

"Have you thought about suicide, Troy?" he asked carefully, watching the teen's face for any sign of a reaction. Troy looked up, alarmed.

"N-no," he choked out, immediately looking away from the doctor.

"Troy, answer the question truthfully."

Troy paused, looking back at the floor again. Sighing, he looked up at the doctor. "I guess. I mean, who hasn't? It'd be a lot easier than going through this."

* * *

Dr. Michaels followed Troy back into the waiting room, meeting his parents as the stood up.

"I'd like to speak to you in my office," he said, motioning for them to follow him. Troy made to follow, but he stopped him. "Troy, I'd like you to wait out here while I speak to your parents."

Bewildered, Jack and Kellie stood, following the doctor into his private office. He sat behind the desk, folding his hands on the wood as he looked at them sitting across from him.

"What's going on?" Kellie asked, clearly anxious. "Is Troy alright? Is something wrong?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, I must say that I am more than a little concerned about Troy's mental state right now. It doesn't appear that he's come to terms with his diagnosis yet, and has rather been bottling up all his emotions. I fear that he may even be experiencing some suicidal tendencies."

"Suicidal?" Jack asked, upset by the news. "What are you talking about?"

"Cancer is a life-altering illness. When you deal with it the way Troy has, by internalizing every emotion, it starts to become a danger. It can lead to outward violence, or to self-injury. Troy has already experienced the first, and I fear that before long he may turn to the second."

"What do we do?" Kellie asked, clutching her husband's arm until her knuckles turned white.

"I would suggest that Troy start seeing a therapist, someone who could help him come to terms with his feelings. I can suggest a few names to you, and you can make the final decision. But I would highly suggest that you do something."

* * *

Troy sat in the psychiatrist's office, looking everywhere but at the doctor. She was a fairly young woman, maybe thirty-five, tall with vivid red hair pulled back into a bun. She was wearing an ID badge which told her name, Dr. Sara Cooper.

"How long has it been since you were diagnosed?" she asked Troy, watching him intently.

He shrugged. "Four or five months."

"How have you been handling it?"

"How would you handle it?" he shot back, finally looking at her.

"Fair enough. Have you talked to anyone?"

"My girlfriend."

"Has she been helping you?"

"I guess."

"Troy, Dr. Michaels said that you talked of killing yourself. Are you truly suicidal?"

"Maybe."

"Are you going to answer any of my questions?"

"Nope."

"Troy, I'm here to help you. I can't do that if you don't open up."

"Too bad."

Dr. Cooper sighed, closing her notebook. "We're out of time for today. I'll see you next Wednesday." She followed Troy out to the waiting room, where she met his parents.

"Well?" Jack asked, watching her face for any sign of how things went.

"It's going a little slowly, but in time I think he'll open up. For now, though, I think I have a diagnosis."

"What?" Kellie asked, looking at the psychiatrist.

"I believe that Troy is suffering from a form of PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The diagnosis was a shock, and therefore his mind shut down, refusing to accept anything. The behaviors and tendencies he's exhibited seem consistent with PTSD symptoms."

* * *

Troy sat in the back of the darkened theater, deliberately avoiding everyone. He currently had free period, which he usually spent catching up on homework. Sighing, he took his pocketknife from his pocket, staring at the blade. Dr. Michaels had made him think. It was true that he had been feeling slightly suicidal as of late, as well as increasingly violent. He knew his parents were making him see a psychiatrist, but he wondered why.

Troy's musings were interrupted when Gabriella walked into the theater. Spotting Troy, she walked over, quietly sliding into the seat next to him.

"Hey," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. Troy smiled, closing the knife and slipping it back into his pocket.

"Hey."

"What are you doing in here all alone?"

"I needed some space to think stuff over."

"What kind of stuff?"

Troy sighed exasperatedly. "Just stuff, okay, Gabi?"

"Okay, I'm sorry I made you angry," she said, pulling away from him.

"No, I'm sorry," Troy said apologetically, reaching out to her. "It's just-I was thinking over some things Dr. Michaels said the other day."

"Is everything okay?" Gabriella asked, all her anger immediately forgotten.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just-he's making me see a shrink."

"What's wrong with that?" Gabriella asked, watching Troy's face.

"I don't know, I guess nothing. But I don't-I don't want to talk about it. Talking about it makes it real. I don't want it to be real."

"Troy, maybe what you need is to talk about it. Maybe it will help you.'

"Maybe," Troy repeated, his voice trailing as he looked away from Gabriella. She watched him for several minutes, before speaking again.

"Troy, is everything okay between us?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking back at her.

"I mean, we don't have the same relationship we did before. We talk about stuff, but it just-it doesn't feel the same. I feel distant from you."

"Gabi, we're fine."

"Troy, you say that, but I don't know if you mean it." She paused, swallowing. "Troy, do you love me?"

Troy looked at her, slightly surprised. "Of course I love you."

"No, Troy, I mean real love. Do you love me enough to spend the rest of your life with me?"

Troy paused, then immediately thought of something. Twisting his class ring off his finger, he held it out to her.

"Gabriella, I love you more than life itself. You are everything to me." He slid the ring on her left hand, looking into her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

A/N: Hehe, cliff hanger. I know you guys love them :D I bet no one expected that one…

Coming in Chapter 15: Gabi's response to Troy's question. Will she marry him?


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Wow, that was a shocker. I'm glad you all liked it :D I still have a few shockers up my sleeve. Don't worry :D

Oh, and if you haven't read it, go read my new one-shot, Zero. It is amazingly depressing. Hehe

So, this chapter has Gabi's reply, and some other stuff.

Random Moment of the Chapter: Yay, O'Grady is on!

IMPORTANT: This chapter takes place a month after the last. It gives you Gabi's response, and what has happened. Troy is a little sicker now. It's Christmas. It also has one of the last light moments before it starts getting really dark. Also, I based the year on the idea that in the movie they were Juniors, so their Senior year is 2006-2007.

* * *

Gabriella sat by the fire in Troy's living room, gazing at his ring on her finger. The small stone glinted in the flickering firelight, sending sparkling reflections around the room. It looked so right there, so in place. She wished it were real. Sighing lightly, she remembered the day he had proposed.

FLASHBACK

"Will you marry me?"

Gabriella sat, shocked, gaping at Troy. "Wh-what?"

"Marry me, Gabi. It would fix everything."

"Troy, I-I don't-"

"Please, just say yes," Troy pleaded, taking her hands and looking intently into her eyes.

"Troy, I can't-I can't marry you," Gabriella said quietly, looking away.

Troy dropped her hands, but continued to stare at her.

"You can't marry me?" he repeated slowly.

"Troy, I love you. I just-this is too fast. I _want _to marry you. But not yet. Not now."

Troy looked away again, clearly upset.

"Troy, I'm sorry. But we're too young." Sighing, Gabriella looked at the ring on her finger. She pulled it off, handing it back to Troy. "I'm sorry."

"I guess you're right," Troy conceded, finally looking back at her. Gabriella smiled, relieved. Troy fingered the ring, before handing it back to her. "Keep it. It'll show that I still want to marry you, someday."

END FLASHBACK

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked, walking into the room with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa, handing one to her as he sat next to her by the fire.

"Us," Gabriella replied, leaning against her boyfriend, smiling contentedly.

Troy wrapped an arm around her, letting her snuggle against him.

"What about us?"

"Just-us."

Troy smiled, kissing Gabriella's neck. She closed her eyes, her skin tingling at his touch. Suddenly Troy pulled back, coughing violently into his fist.

"Troy? Are you okay?"

Troy nodded, unable to respond as he tried to catch his breath.

"You sure?"

"I'm okay, Gabi," he said, drawing her closer to him as he shivered slightly.

She nodded, looking over his pale complexion. As of late, he had been growing weaker, the chemotherapy taking its toll. He was reduced to sitting on the bench at basketball games, watching as the Wildcats played the season. Thanks to Chad, they were undefeated so far.

Gabi took the blanket from the couch, wrapping it tightly around Troy. She tucked it in at his sides, kissing his forehead gently.

"I love you so much," she whispered, resting her head on his as he returned the sentiment.

"I love you, too."

* * *

"Troy, wake up, it's time to open presents!" Kellie's voice floated into Troy's consciousness from downstairs early Christmas morning, waking him from his sleep. Groaning, he rolled over slowly to look at the alarm clock.

"It's 6:00!" he called back, flipping back over and putting his pillow over his head.

"Troy! It's Christmas, come on!"

Troy moaned, pulling the pillow tighter against his head. Minutes later he heard his mom's footsteps on the stairs as she walked into his room.

"Come on, Troy, don't' ruin Christmas for us. We've done this since you were a little boy."

"Mom, I'm eighteen," Troy mumbled, closing his eyes as he ground his face into the pillow and pulled the blanket over his head.

"Alright, you know what I have to do?"

Troy shook his head in protest, crying out when his mom ripped the blanket from over his head, pulling the pillow with it.

"Come on, Troy, you can go back to bed later. Granny and Grandpa are coming over for bagels in an hour and a half."

"Fine, fine, I'm getting up," Troy said grumpily, swinging his legs out of the bed and standing. The second his mom left the room, he flopped back down, drawing the blanket back around him.

"Not funny, Troy," his mom called through the door.

* * *

Later on, Troy and Gabriella sat together at the table as Troy's extended family talked and laughed around them. Christmas at the Bolton's was always a festive affair, involving cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, sometimes even neighbors. The doorbell rang, interrupting the conversations for a moment.

"I've got it!" Troy's mom called out, placing a third basket of hot crescent rolls on the table. A minute later a man and woman walked in, laden with wrapped Christmas presents.

"Who is that?" Gabriella asked quietly, leaning in to hear Troy's response.

"My aunt Chrissy and Uncle Mike," Troy whispered back, trying to shrink down as they came toward him.

"Troy!" Chrissy cried out, hugging him tightly. All the attention was starting to annoy Troy, being that every relative had treated him like a delicate figure.

"Hey, Aunt Chrissy," Troy said, shaking hands with his uncle. "Uncle Mike. This is Gabriella Montez, my girlfriend."

Gabriella shook hands with both, smiling broadly.

"Alright, we figured that, with the chemo and all, and you losing your hair, you could use something for protection from the weather," Chrissy said, handing Troy his present. He unwrapped it, holding it up for Gabriella to see.

"Another hat," he said, tossing the knit cap onto his steadily growing pile. He had amassed quite a collection, every shape, size, and color imaginable.

Gabriella laughed, as did Troy's aunt and uncle. The happiness in the room was a stark contrast to Troy's latest moods, and he liked it.

* * *

"Happy New Year's Eve," Troy whispered as he came up behind Gabriella, covering her eyes with his hands. She laughed, pulling them away as she turned to face him.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, kissing him happily.

"I guess. Do we really have to go?"

"Troy, it's Sharpay and Ryan's eighteenth birthday party. Of course we have to go."

"Alright," Troy said, kissing her back.

Gabriella disentangled herself from his arms, opening the door to her car. She got in the driver's seat as Troy got in the passenger. Half an hour later, they arrived at the country club that the party was at, and walked in together.

"Oh my, God, Gabi, you look amazing!" Taylor cried when she saw her friend, hugging her quickly.

"You look great, too," Gabriella returned the compliment, as they walked into the party with Chad and Taylor.

"I'm gonna go sit down for a minute," Troy whispered in Gabriella's ear, kissing her lightly before walking over to the nearest table.

"Are you alright?" Gabriella asked, concerned.

"Fine, just a little lightheaded."

"Are you sure?"

"Gabi, don't worry about me. I'll be fine in a moment."

"Well, if you're sure, I think I'm gonna go say hi to Sharpay."

"Go. Gabi, trust me, I'm fine."

Three hours later, they were ready to count down to the new year. Troy and Gabriella were standing together, watching the TV that was showing the New Year's Eve party in New York.

"It's almost 2007!" someone cried out, causing everyone to laugh.

"10-9-8-7-6," the crowd chanted. Gabriella squealed excitedly, holding Troy closer. He smiled half-heartedly.

"5-4-3-2-1! Happy New Year!"

Gabriella kissed Troy happily, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Happy New Year!" she cried, kissing him again.

"Yeah," Troy muttered, putting a hand to his head.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked, her emotions crashing in a span of a few seconds. "Troy!"

Troy's hands dropped from Gabriella's shoulders as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

A/N: I can't stop the cliffhangers. Sorry :D

I know the marriage thing probably disappointed a few of you, but if anyone watched One Tree Hill, I didn't want a Nathan/Haley disaster to deal with. So, that's how it went down.

Reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 16: What is wrong with Troy? Oh my goodness!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: That was a fun cliffhanger. Not. :D I'm sorry to tell you all that this story had ceased, from this point on, to be happy. In the words of New Found Glory, it's "all downhill from here." Yes folks, it is a sad story now. Not too many lighthearted moments left.

That said, I'm glad a lot of you are sticking with me through this story. I think I've only got a few more chapters left in me. I'm aiming for somewhere near 20-25 chapters. Your reviews are what keep me going. Without them, I think this story would have been abandoned long ago. So, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you to all my loyal readers and reviewers.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Troy!" Gabriella screamed, sinking to the floor with her boyfriend in her arms. The noise surrounding them overpowered her voice, and Gabriella seemed to be the only one who had noticed Troy's collapse.

"Chad, Taylor, call an ambulance" she shouted, finally catching the attention of her two friends. She was bending over Troy, her fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse.

"What happened?" Chad asked frantically, kneeling next to her and looking at Troy.

"I don't know, we were standing there and he just collapsed. I don't know what's wrong," Gabriella said, upset. Chad dug in his pocket for his cell, pulling it out and dialing 911. Taylor had knelt next to Gabriella and was taking off her sweater to put over Troy to keep him from going into shock. By then several people had noticed the small group gathered around Troy's prone body. Some were standing with their hands over their mouths, shocked, while others crowded in to see what was going on.

"The ambulance is coming in a few minutes," Chad said, turning to the crowd of people. "Everybody, back up! Give him some room!"

Some of the people complied, but others pressed closer. Sharpay and Ryan pushed through the crowd to Troy, their faces white with worry. Jason, Kelsi, and Zeke all found their way over as well.

"What's going on?" Sharpay asked, leaning over Gabriella to see Troy.

"He passed out, I don't-" Gabriella's reply was cut off as the paramedics forced a path through the crowd.

"Over here!" Chad shouted, waving them over. Two paramedics pulled a gurney toward Troy, a black medical bag lying on top.

"Alright, everybody clear out!" the younger of the two called, moving people away as he took a stethoscope from the bag and kneeling next to Gabriella. "I need you guys to move away so we can work on him."

Chad and Taylor stood up, going to stand next to the others. Gabriella refused to move, however, tightly holding onto Troy's hand. The older paramedic was setting up a blood pressure cuff on Troy's left arm while her partner took Troy's pulse and checked his breathing.

"Miss, it would really help us if you'd move away," the guy said, taking a pulse ox clip and attaching it to Troy's finger.

"He's my boyfriend," Gabriella said quietly, refusing to let go of Troy's hand.

The medic shook his head, continuing to look over Troy. He turned to his partner.

"His pulse ox is on the low side, 94. I'm gonna start him on oxygen and put in a second line," he said, informing her of his plan of action.

"BP is 100/70, and his pulse is 70. Run in two liters of normal saline, wide open, and let's get him prepped for transport." She turned to Gabriella. "Are you riding along?"

Gabriella nodded, continuing to clutch Troy's hand as the two paramedics rolled Troy onto a backboard and lifted him onto the gurney. She walked alongside as they went out to the ambulance. The others followed, watching as Troy was loaded into the ambulance. Gabriella jumped in and took her place next to Troy and across from the younger medic.

"We'll meet you at the hospital," Chad called after them as the other medic shut the doors and closed Troy and Gabriella off from them.

* * *

"What've we got?" the ER doctor asked, walking up to the doors of the ambulance as the paramedic threw the open and helped his partner unload the gurney. Gabriella jumped out and walked alongside, continuing to hold Troy's hand.

"Troy Bolton, 18, collapsed at a party. He has leukemia, he's been receiving treatments for the last six months or so. BP has stayed steady at 100/70, pulse at 70. Pulse ox is 04, we put him on oxygen. Two lines started in the field."

They moved Troy onto the waiting gurney in the treatment room, and the paramedics left, taking their gurney with them. Gabriella was left in the room with Troy, the doctor, an intern, and a nurse.

"Are you his girlfriend?"

Gabriella nodded, tightening her grip on Troy's hand. The doctor looked up at her.

"Miss-'

"Montez," Gabriella supplied, looking up from Troy for a moment.

"Miss Montez. I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside so we can work."

"But-"

"Please, we'll be able to help him faster if we can work."

Gabriella protested, even as the nurse gently put her hands on Gabriella's shoulders and led her toward the door.

"Wait," Gabriella pleaded, walking back to Troy. She leaned in close to his ear, whispering. "I love you, Troy. Please stay strong, you'll be okay." She gently kissed his forehead, closing her eyes for a moment before allowing herself to be led away by the nurse.

* * *

"Where is he?" Chad asked, walking into the waiting room and immediately spotting Gabriella. Taylor, Ryan, Sharpay, Zeke, Kelsi, and Jason filled in behind him as Gabriella stood up to meet them.

"They're treating him now, I haven't seen him since we got here."

Chad cursed under his breath, running a hand through his still-pink hair.

"He'll be okay," Taylor said assertively, wrapping an arm around Gabriella's shoulders to comfort her.

"How do you know that?" Gabriella asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Gabriella, this isn't what Troy needs," Kelsi said gently, stepping closer to her friend. "He needs us to be strong."

"He's going to be okay," Taylor repeated, looking up at Chad as Gabriella buried her face in Taylor's shirt and began to sob.

"I'm gonna go call his parents," Chad said quietly, walking over to the pay phone on the wall as the others took seats around Gabriella, prepared to wait as long as it took. A few minutes later he walked back over, sitting next to Taylor and resting his hand on Gabriella's shoulder to help comfort her.

"Troy Bolton?"

The group looked up, and saw the doctor who had treated Troy. He spotted the group and walked over, holding Troy's chart in his hands.

"Are his parents here?"

"Um, I just called them they'll be here in a little bit," Chad said, standing up to see eye to eye with the doctor. ""How is Troy?"

"I really can't release any information regarding his condition to anyone but family," the doctor said tentatively, shifting slightly from one foot to the other.

"Please, can you at least tell us if he's okay?" Taylor asked, looking up as Gabriella wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"I really-it's against hospital policy."

"Please," Gabriella pleaded quietly, speaking for the first time in awhile. The doctor looked uncomfortable. Just then, Troy's parents hurried into the waiting room, walking quickly over to the group.

"Are you the doctor treating Troy?" Kellie asked, her voice betraying her anxiety.

"Mrs. Bolton?" Kellie nodded. The doctor sighed with relief. "Yes. I'm Troy's doctor."

"How is he? What's wrong?"

The doctor sat across from the small group, motioning for Kellie and Jack to sit opposite him.

"Troy's collapse was caused by weakness that resulted from the cancer. The systems of his body have started to shut down because the chemo treatments aren't working as they should be. We've paged Dr. Michaels, who'll be able to further examine Troy and come up with a definite diagnosis and treatment plan. I have to tell you, though, that I think we may be looking at something as serious as a bone marrow transplant."

* * *

Gabriella walked quietly into Troy's room, greeting Kellie, who was sitting by the bed. They were still waiting for Dr. Michaels. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton had sent everyone else home, but Gabriella had refused. Now she asked Troy's mother for a moment alone with her boyfriend. Kellie complied, kissing Troy's forehead before leaving the room.

Gabriella sat next to him, gently picking up his hand. She leaned forward, kissing his cheek before laying her head next to his.

"I love you, Troy," she whispered, gently stroking his hair. "Please don't leave me. Please stay strong."

As she watched, Troy's eyes fluttered open and he looked inquisitively at Gabriella.

"Gabi? What happened? Why-why am I in the hospital?"

"Troy, you passed out. The paramedics brought you here."

"What's wrong?"

"They've called Dr. Michaels for a consult," Gabriella said quietly, running her hand through Troy's hair.

"Gabi? What-what's wrong?"

"Troy, they think-they think this might be it. I don't want to lose you."

Troy closed his eyes, letting her words sink in. "Have they given me a time yet?"

Gabriella shook her head. "They're waiting for Dr. Michaels. The ER doctor thinks that we could still try a few more options."

Troy let out a quiet breath, calming himself. He pulled Gabriella closer.

"I love you, Gabi," he whispered. "You're not going to lose me. I'm not ready to go yet."

* * *

A/N: That was kind of upsetting. Sorry. Sorry for the wait as well. Reviews greatly appreciated, as always! Not sure how accurate some of the medical stuff was, but I used stuff I've hear on ER mostly, so forgive me if it isn't right :D

Coming in Chapter 17: What does Dr. Michaels say? Is this the end for Troy? Maybe? Am I that mean?


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so much longer. My Sweet 16 was on Saturday (we saw Wicked on Broadway!) and I've just had a lot of homework and school drama to deal with. I also wasn't sure where to go with this chapter, so I wanted to think it through. Sorry again :D This one is a little short and defeinately long overdue, so once again, I am so so sorry.

Random Moment of the Chapter: Wentworth Miller is a hottie!

Enjoy!

* * *

Dr. Michaels walked into the family room of the ER, nodding at Troy's parents who were sitting on one of the couches in the otherwise empty room. He sat opposite them, opening Troy's chart.

"I'm afraid that the news isn't good," the doctor said, looking across at Mr. and Mrs. Bolton. Kellie paled visibly, grasping for Jack's hand.

"What-what's wrong?" Jack asked, his voice breaking.

Dr. Michaels sighed. "As you know we've been treating Troy for several months now. Unfortunately, the cancer's not responding as we'd hoped. If anything, it seems Troy's gotten sicker."

"You mean it's not just the chemo?" Kellie whispered, her face aghast at the thought of what the doctor was suggesting. "You mean-he's d-dying?"

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Michaels said solemnly, looking compassionately at Troy's parents. Kellie let out a cry and buried her head in Jack's shirt.

"There's not much more we can do for him at this point. We can try upping the dosage of the chemo. I also want to start looking for a bone marrow donor, which may be our best option, provided we find a match." Dr. Michaels paused, letting his words sink in. "I know this is a lot to handle, but I need your permission to type Troy's blood and bone marrow so we can start searching for a donor immediately."

* * *

"So, what did Dr. Michaels say?" Troy asked, completely oblivious to his parents' moods. Gabriella was sitting on the edge of the bed, gripping Troy's hand as she had been for the last hour. She unconsciously tightened her grip, correctly interpreting their silence.

"Mom? Dad?" Troy's face fell as he finally noticed their gloominess. "What-what's wrong?"

"Troy, sweetie," Kellie began, her voice breaking as she was overcome with sobs. Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders, struggling to keep his own sobs in check. He looked into Troy's eyes, shaking his head slightly.

"Oh, God," Gabriella whispered, her fingers turning white as she increased the pressure she was exerting on Troy's hand.

"He doesn't know how much longer-" Jack broke off, collecting himself before finishing. "What they can-" He broke off, unable to finish.

"But what about a bone marrow transplant? Or-or what about more chemo? Or-" Gabriella said, clearly struggling to maintain control over her emotions.

"They've already upped the chemo. They're trying to find a match for a bone marrow transplant," Jack replied, tightening his grip on his shaking wife. Troy remained silent, struggling with his own emotions.

"What about me? Can they test me?"

Troy and Kellie both looked up at Gabriella, surprised. Jack sighed.

"Gabriella, the chances that-"

"But he can test me, right? There's always a chance. There's always hope."

* * *

Gabriella knocked on Dr. Michaels' door, waiting for his response before walking in.

"Gabriella," he acknowledged, motioning for her to sit across from him. He was absorbed in a patient's chart, scribbling notes on one of the pages. "Just a minute." Finishing with his signature, he closed the chart, placing it atop the pile on the edge of his desk. He faced Gabriella.

"What can I do for you?"

"I want you to test me. Type my blood, whatever, I want to know if I'm a match for Troy."

Dr. Michaels sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Gabriella, I know you want to help Troy any way you can. But you have to understand, the chances of you being a perfect match are-"

"Troy's blood type is AB, right? The rarest one. Which also happens to be mine. So there's a chance, right?"

"Gabriella, it's not just blood type. We have to test you for-"

"I don't care. Do it."

Dr. Michaels looked at her intently for a moment, before replying. "Alright. We'll test you."

Gabriella smiled, reaching forward to shake the doctor's hand.

"Thank you, Dr. Michaels," she said quietly, turning and walking to the door.

"I'll get you when we're ready for the tests. It should be early tomorrow."

Gabriella nodded, thanking the doctor again before opening the door and walking out. She headed back to Troy's room. Walking in, she found Troy and Kellie asleep, the latter with her hand tightly gripping her son's as Troy slept lightly in the bed. Jack was leaning against the wall closest to the door, watching his wife and son.

"Hey, Mr. Bolton," Gabriella said quietly, careful not to wake Troy or Kellie as she stepped into the room.

"Gabriella," Jack nodded, sighing as he ran a hand over his eyes.

"How is he?"

"Not so great. I don't think he took the news too well," Jack said, turning back to watch his son again.

Gabriella nodded, walking over to the bed and gently brushing her hand over his shoulder.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be getting home?" Jack asked half-heartedly, knowing Gabriella would refuse.

"Actually, I asked Dr. Michaels to test me to be a match for Troy," she said, looking back at Jack. "He's running the tests tomorrow, so I'm just gonna stay the night."

Jack looked surprised, but a moment later his face returned to its mask of sadness and exhaustion.

"Why didn't I guess?"

Gabriella smiled, taking a second chair and sitting across from Kellie as she gripped Troy's other hand, bringing it to her lips to kiss it.

* * *

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news," Dr. Michaels said the next day, walking into the room where both Gabriella and Troy were resting. Troy had undergone an intensive round of chemo while Gabriella had had her tests. They were now sitting together in Troy's room, quietly holding hands.

Kellie and Jack looked at the doctor, their expressions becoming drawn.

"Bad news first," Troy said, his voice betraying his exhaustion.

"Gabriella wasn't a match."

Gabriella frowned slightly, but remained optimistic.

"What's the good news?" she asked, reaching over to grip Troy's hand.

"It appears that Troy's latest numbers are slightly better than we expected. The latest chemo coupled with his previous treatments seemed to have worked slightly. Unfortunately, Troy's immune system is extremely compromised right now, so I'm afraid we're going to have to keep him here for a while."

"But what if-what if he gets worse?" Kellie asked quietly, voicing the question on everyone's mind. "What if he never comes home?"

"While that is a possibility, I think we should focus more on the positive right now. It's best for Troy, and with a little encouragement there's a chance he could be able to go home as soon as next week."

Troy looked up at the doctor.

"What about school?"

Dr. Michaels sighed. "I'm afraid you're going to have to stay home for awhile. If you want to beat this, you're going to need to focus on recovering, focus on getting better. We're going to be giving you strong doses of chemo and your immune system is going to be extremely weak. You'll probably spend most of the next few months in the hospital, and it would be safer if you stay at home."

"What about senior year? College?" Troy asked.

Dr. Michaels took a deep breath, glancing at Kellie and Jack before replying.

"I know I've just given you a little bit of hope, but you have to be prepared for the chance that the numbers were a fluke."

"So are you saying that you've just given us false hope?" Kellie asked, slight anger coloring her voice.

"Not exactly. Mrs. Bolton, the numbers look positive, but it could always be a fluke. Now, if his next numbers come back the same, we'll have some concrete evidence to go on. For now, the best thing we can do is have faith."

* * *

A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry that sucked and took so long. Please, please, please forgive me. I know it seemed a little weird, but it will work out in the future. Don't worry about that.

Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always.

Coming in Chapter 18: Troy makes a decision about the future.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: Well, that chapter was odd. This one is a little out there, too. Sorry. This story is dwindling down, so expect the heaviest and saddest chapters to be coming soon. But this one is a little happy. Just a little. I don't want to give away the ending, so that's all I'll say.

Random Moment of the Chapter: I LOVE JASON DUNN!

Timeline Note: This chapter takes place a month after the last.

Enjoy!

* * *

Troy reached out for his alarm clock, finding the snooze button after several minutes of groping. The incessant beeping ceased and he rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.

"Troy!" his mom called, dragging him back to the land of the living.

"Mmmm," Troy mumbled into the pillow, scrunching his eyes tighter.

A few minutes later, the door to Troy's room opened and he felt a slight pressure on the end of his bed as Kellie sat down. She gently rubbed his back, catching his attention.

"How are you feeling today, sweetie?" she asked, leaning closer to hear the mumbled reply.

"Not good."

"Do you think you can go to school today?"

Troy shook his head, swatting his mom's hand away. Kellie sighed, leaning forward to gently kiss his head before standing up and leaving the room. Troy pulled the covers past his head, trying to hide from the pain that shot through his head. This was his fifth consecutive missed day, the fifth day he had felt too sick to go to school.

As Troy tried to fall back asleep, the pain in his head reached a crescendo, almost blinding him. Hissing, he tried to bury himself deeper in the pillow, attempting to block out the throbbing. After a few moments of vain struggle, Troy decided to get up and get his pain meds.

Groaning, he rolled out of his bed and onto the floor, standing slowly. He staggered into the bathroom, closing his eyes against the light as he rummaged in the medicine cabinet. Retrieving several small orange pill bottles, he unscrewed the lid of the first, taking out the required dosage. Having done that for the others, he downed them one by one with water from the sink.

Having taken his meds, Troy stumbled back into his room.

"Troy, I'm calling the school, okay?" Kellie called up the stairs, hearing Troy walking around.

"Whatever," he called back, collapsing onto his bed and burying himself under the covers again. Barely five minutes later Kellie walked back in, setting a glass of water on the bedside table.

"Did you take your meds?"

Troy grunted in response, not bothering to look up at his mother.

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"I'll be just downstairs if you do."

Troy didn't reply, only snuggled deeper into his blankets.

"I'll check on you in a few hours," Kellie said, looking sadly at Troy before walking from the room.

Five minutes later the only sound in the room was Troy's soft snoring as he slept.

* * *

Kellie sat at the kitchen table, punching numbers into a calculator as she worked on catching up with bills. Putting her head in her hand, she stared at the numbers on the calculator, unable to make head or tail of them. Sighing, she looked up at the clock. It was just about time for her to check on Troy.

Placing the papers into a neat pile, Kellie stood, walking over to the cabinet and taking out a glass. Filling it with juice, she set about preparing something for Troy to eat. Just as she got ready to go up, the phone rang, making her stop what she was doing. Wiping her hands on her jeans, she walked over to the phone on the kitchen wall.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Bolton? It's Dr. Michaels."

"Dr. Michaels? What's going on? Is anything wrong?"

"Actually, I have some good news."

"Good news? What is it?"

"We found a donor to match Troy."

"Oh, my God," Kellie breathed, a feeling of intense happiness coming over her.

"We want you to bring him in as soon as possible, so we can go over the procedure. If everything works out we'd like to do it as early as tomorrow."

"Thank God," Kellie said, tears of happiness stinging her eyes. "Thank you so much, Dr. Michaels. You have no idea how wonderful this news is."

"I think I have some idea," Dr. Michaels chuckled. "Can I count on seeing you later today?"

"We'll be there as soon as possible. Thank you so much."

"No problem. I'll see you in a bit."

"Thanks again."

Kellie hung up the phone, pausing for a moment to smile to herself. Turning, she picked up the phone again, quickly Jack's number at the school. After three rings, he picked up, clearly surprised to hear Kellie's voice.

"Kellie? What's going on? Is something happening to Troy?"

"Jack, Dr. Michaels just called. They've found a bone marrow donor for Troy, they want to do the procedure tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Does he need to go-"

"I'm taking him in now, come to the hospital after school. Tell Gabriella, too, if you can. I have to get Troy ready, now."

Before Jack could respond, Kellie had hung up and was halfway up the stairs to Troy's room.

* * *

Jack knocked on the door to Gabriella's Chemistry class, attracting the attention of her teacher.

"Sorry to interrupt, but could I borrow Gabriella Montez for a moment?"

The teacher nodded, motioning to Gabriella before returning to her lecture on acids and bases. Gabriella stood quickly and walked out to Jack, her face a mask of worry.

"Mr. Bolton? What's wrong? Is Troy okay?"

"He's fine, Gabriella. Better than fine, actually. They've found a donor."

Gabriella's face lit up, and she broke into a smile.

"Oh, my God, that's amazing!" she cried, throwing her arms around Jack's surprised form. He awkwardly patted her back, sharing her joy for a moment.

"I'm meeting Kellie and Troy at the hospital after school, you're welcome to come along," he said, gently disengaging himself from her embrace.

"I'll be ready," Gabriella said, her expression betraying her happiness. Jack nodded, letting her go back to class as he turned back toward the gym. He suddenly felt the urge to shout from joy. This was the first time any of them had been happy in the last seven months.

* * *

Troy sat in his hospital bed later that day, talking with his parents and Gabriella. Dr. Michaels had already run all the necessary tests, and they were waiting for the results. As they talked the conversation turned to college, and where Gabriella was going in the fall.

"So, where did you apply?" Kellie was asking, trying to keep the mood light to cover the tension in the room.

"Stanford, Columbia, Harvard," Gabriella said, smiling broadly at Troy's mother. "I also applied to Notre Dame and Georgetown and a few others, just in case."

"Come on, Gabi, you'll get in," Troy said, his voice almost bitter.

"Troy? What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, concern creeping into her voice.

Troy sighed, looking at his father for a long while before answering.

"College is a bit of a sensitive subject with me," he said, looking down at his hands.

"Oh, Troy, I'm sorry," Gabriella said, understanding finally dawning on her. This would have been the time when Troy would have been off at Duke, selling his talent for a scholarship.

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Come on, Troy, cheer up," Jack said, trying to bring the conversation back to a lighter level. "If this works, you'll get better, and you'll even be playing again by the fall."

Troy sighed heavily, staring the blanket covering his knees as he spoke.

"Dad, I think we all know that even if this does work-if it does make me better-the chances I'll be the player I was are slim to none. I'm not getting any scholarships, and I probably won't play again."

"Troy-" Gabriella began, but her cut her off.

"Please, don't do that. I've accepted that fact, and I'm okay with it. It's a part of life." Pausing, he turned to his father. "Which is why I want you to call Duke, Dad. Tell them-" he broke off, collecting himself, "-tell them I can't accept their offer."

Silence greeted Troy's announcement, as Jack sat stunned.

"Troy, don't you think that's a little hast-"

"Dad, please don't make this harder then it already is. Just call them, and get it over with."

"But what about college, Troy?"

"If I make it through this, then I'll think about college. But basketball won't be part of that."

Jack nodded, clearly struggling with Troy's decision. His next remark was cut off when Dr. Michaels walked in.

"Your results are in, Troy, and you're all clear for the procedure. I've scheduled you in for noon tomorrow."

"Oh, thank God," Kellie said for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She hugged Troy happily, and gripped her husband's hand. The tension in the room from moments before immediately evaporated.

"Now, before we can do the procedure, I have to go over the risks."

"Hold on a minute," Troy said quietly, looking up at the doctor.

"Yes, Troy?"

"Is there a chance that I could not make it through the procedure? Is there a chance I could die on the table?"

Dr. Michaels nodded slightly.

"There is a chance of surgical complications, but-"

"Then I want to sign a DNR."

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger of sorts, again!

FYI, DNR stands for Do Not Resuscitate. It means that, if something happens, Troy doesn't want any heroic measures (like respirators or defibrillators) used to resuscitate him.

Anyway, reviews greatly appreciated, as always!

Coming in Chapter 19: Why does Troy want a DNR? What happens during the transplant?


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

Disclaimer 2: I would like to clarify something. Not once in this story have I claimed, or pretended, or anything else that I am any kind of a medical expert. My medical knowledge is limited to what I learned from ER, House, and my father. If the facts aren't completely accurate, I apologize and once again stress the fact that I really am not 100 sure what is supposed to happen. I ask that, for literary purposes, you overlook any mistakes or discrepancies in the procedures. Thank you.

A/N: Surprise! This is the last chapter! Took me by surprise as much as it took you guys, but I was getting tired of this story and felt it was dragging on too long. But there is an alternate ending, for those who wish to read it.

Random Moment of the Chapter: Hi!

Enjoy!

* * *

"I want to sign a DNR."

The room was deathly quiet before Troy's father burst out in anger.

"No!" he cried, clearly upset by Troy's request. Gabriella had paled considerably and was shaking slightly as she clung to Troy's hand. Kellie had stood up and backed away slightly. Dr. Michaels put up a hand to quiet Troy's father before turning back to the teen.

"Troy, I really don't think that's necessary. You interrupted my sentence, I didn't finish what I meant to say."

"But-"

"Troy, the chance of a complication is extremely small. The procedure is minimally invasive at worst. In fact, it's more dangerous for the donor than the recipient. However, the risks come from possible rejection of the transplant, or a reaction to one of the drugs used."

"Oh," Troy said, looking at the covers on the bed. Jack was still fuming, but Kellie had stepped back toward the bed.

"Do you still want to sign that DNR?"

Troy shook his head slightly, and Dr. Michaels nodded.

"I'll be back tomorrow to prep you for the procedure, make sure you get your rest tonight."

Troy nodded, and the doctor left, leaving Jack, Kellie, and Gabriella to deal with Troy's latest announcement.

The second the door had shut behind Dr. Michaels, Jack exploded.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted, staring down Troy. "A DNR? Troy, what the hell is your problem?"

Kellie put a hand on Jack's arm.

"Sweetie, calm down." She turned to Troy, not taking her hand away. "Troy, sweetie, what in the world could have made you that desperate?"

Troy shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't know, I just-if it's my time to die, it's my time to die. I don't want to be kept alive on machines or in the ICU. I don't want to prolong my death."

"Troy, you're not dying," Gabriella said weakly, clutching even tighter to her hand, the pressure exerted by her fingers turning his white.

"Gabi, I am dying. Slowly, but I'm still dying. I seem to be the only person who's accepted that fact."

Silence greeted this last statement as each of the others tried to digest what Troy had said. Jack was the first to recover his composure.

"Troy, just a few months ago you were set on beating this," he said, his struggle with his anger evident on his face. "What happened? Why are you suddenly resigned to your-" he paused, shaking his head, "-this fate. You're not dying."

"Dad, I haven't felt this sick in my life. Sometimes I wish it would end. Sometimes I wish I could survive. Most of the time it's the first."

"But, Troy-" Jack began, but Troy cut him off.

"Dad, I didn't sign the DNR. Can we just leave the subject behind?"

Jack made to open his mouth in protest, but Kellie stopped him.

"You know what, I 'm going to go get us all some coffee. Do you guys want coffee? Jack, come with me," she said quickly, trying to keep the peace between her husband and son.

"Can I have some tea?" Troy asked, clearly glad for the change in subject.

Kellie nodded, and started to dig in her purse for money.

"Gabriella? Coffee?"

"Um, no thanks," Gabriella said, looking oddly from Troy to his parents.

"Alright. We'll be back," Kellie said, pulling a twenty from her wallet. "Let's go, Jack."

Putting her hand firmly on Jack's shoulder, she pushed him from the room in front of her, leaving Troy and Gabriella alone.

* * *

Gabriella sat with her head in her hands the next day, watching Jack pace in front of her. Kellie was sitting next to her, glancing at her watch every few minutes. It was one o'clock, and they were waiting for news on Troy's procedure.

"Jack, I think you've worn the carpet thin," Kellie said nervously, her voice cracking slightly. The last hour had been pure torture as they waited to hear of the success of the procedure.

Jack paused for a moment to look at her, before resuming his pacing. Just as he was about to turn and walk the other way, Dr. Michaels walked into the waiting room. He was holding a chart in his hands, and he was dressed in scrubs.

Jack stopped pacing and looked up at the doctor, his face expectant. Kellie and Gabriella stood up, walking to stand behind Jack.

"The procedure went perfectly," the doctor said, a smile on his face. "Nothing went wrong, and within a few days we'll know if it was successful or not."

"Thank you," Kellie said, taking the doctor's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "Thank you so much."

Gabriella was smiling broadly as tears of relief streamed down her face. Jack had sighed with relief as he put a hand over his face.

"I'll be in touch," Dr. Michaels said, leaving the three standing in the waiting room.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella walked hand in hand into the restaurant, laughing happily.

"I can't believe we're graduating next week!" Gabriella said as they walked from Troy's car across the parking lot.

"And I can't believe you dragged me out here when I have to study for the finals I missed," he complained, but it was clear he was kidding. Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him, and he ruffled her hair. They reached the building. and Troy held the door open for her, bowing slightly in mocking. She smacked him playfully on the arm, walking into the pizza parlor in front of him.

Troy let the door close behind them and jogged to catch up to Gabriella, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck.

"I love you," he whispered, smiling as she leaned into his embrace.

"I love you, too," she replied, tilting her head back to kiss him. "And, I have a surprise for you."

Troy looked up, and was surprised to see all of his friends sitting at a table, balloons and streamers decorating the walls behind it.

"What-?"

"Surprise!" they shouted, clapping loudly. Chad, Jason, and Zeke all stood up, handing Troy a gift bag.

"What is all this?"

"We're celebrating your remission!" Chad said, slapping Troy on the back.

"We figured that this last year has been hell for you, so we wanted to celebrate," Jason added, forcing the bag into Troy's hand.

"We all pitched in," Gabriella said, leading Troy to the table. He looked around at his friends, choking on his emotion. Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi, Jason, Zeke, Chad, Taylor, and the rest of the basketball team and drama club had all shown up.

"You guys, I don't know what to say," Troy said, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment as he fought against the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

"A simple thank you would be sufficient," Taylor laughed, standing up to hug Troy. "We're so glad you're okay."

Troy smiled awkwardly as Sharpay practically launched herself into his arms.

"You had us so worried, especially in January," she told him, disentangling herself from him.

Troy nodded, wiping furiously at his eyes.

"Alright, enough of this touchy-feely crap," Chad said, wrapping an arm around Taylor. "Let's eat!"

The group murmured in agreement, and they all turned to the pizzas that were on the table.

"So, are you all done with chemo?" Taylor asked once they had all gotten slices.

Troy finished chewing, swallowing the bite of pizza before answering.

"Last week. I won't need any more unless I relapse, but right now we're focusing on the fact that I survived."

"Amen to that," Chad put in, tipping his pizza toward Troy in a mock salute.

Troy laughed, reaching over to grab Gabriella's hand.

"I never would have made it through if it weren't for Gabi, though," he said, smiling broadly at her. She blushed, but leaned in to kiss him, interlocking her fingers with his.

"What about college?"

"You know what, I haven't decided. My dad thinks I should call Duke back, but I think I'm going ot take a year off, get my form back. Maybe then I'll think about college. Right now, I'm just glad to be alive, with all of you."

He smiled at all of his friends, and they smiled back. For the first time in awhile, Troy felt truly happy.

FIN

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A/N: OMG, I believe that's the end. Wow. I didn't expect to end it there, but it seemed perfect. I was actually going for a much sadder end, but the story started to drag on and it just didn't seem plausible anymore. However, there is an alternate ending. It is posted under chapter 20. Bring tissues if you intend to read it.

Chapter 21 is the trailer for my next story, "Keep the Faith." It will be sad and angsty and pretty much nothing like what I've done so far.

Well, guys, it's been fun. Another story finished. I never would have made it without you guys. I love all my reviewers, you guys are the glue that kept this story together. It had its ups and downs (quite a few downs) but you all stuck with me. I may post an epilogue later in time to explain a few other things (like the huge time gap between the tranplant and the remission party), or maybe a short sequel. But I like to leave things up to your imagination. So, we'll see how that turns out. Anyway, please review, and don't forget to read "Keep the Faith."

Oh, and one more thing…Go vote for "This is How a Heart Breaks" in the HSM Fanfiction Awards on the forums! Yay!

Love,

jetsfanforlyfe


	20. Alternate Ending

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.

A/N: This is the alternate ending. It is a tearjerker. You have been warned.

This was originally the actual ending of the story, but it didn't work as well as the happy one. This story took a completely different direction than the one I had planned, but that's the way life goes.

Enjoy!

* * *

Time Note: This takes place the spring of Troy's freshman year of college. He had been in remission since June, and decided to attend Duke on the scholarship.

* * *

Troy coughed slightly, groaning as pain coursed through his head. Gabriella leaned forward to take his hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it gently.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice betraying her weariness. Troy had spent the last week in the hospital, and Gabriella had refused to leave his side. She had flown all the way from Stanford to North Carolina to be with him.

Troy nodded, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

"Your parents will be back in a little bit. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No."

Gabriella sighed, sitting back in her chair. Six months ago, Troy had called with the news of his relapse. They had given him a year. Now it didn't seem likely he'd survive the night.

"It's almost the end," Troy whispered, each word seeming to cost him. He had been growing weaker and weaker, this cancer ravaging his body. Already his systems had begun to shut down.

"I know," Gabriella said quietly, tears pricking her eyelids as she looked at Troy. He was paler than he'd ever been, his eyelashes providing stark contrast to his skin every time he blinked. Two IV's ran from his left hand, and a nasal cannula provided oxygen to him through his nose.

"Gabi, don't forget me when I'm gone, okay?"

Gabriella nodded, not trusting her voice.

"I'd never forget you."

"Can you-can you tell my parents something for me?"

"Troy, you can tell them yourself, they'll be back in half an hour."

"No, Gabi, I don't think I have that much time."

Alarmed, Gabriella made to stand up.

"Troy, you should have said something. I'll have them page the doctor, I'll call your parents-"

Troy shook his head weakly, keeping her from moving.

"No, Gabi, I'm okay with this. Just you and me. How I'd always wanted it."

"Oh, Troy."

"Gabi, listen, I need you to tell my parents that I love them. Look out for them. I know this is going to kill them, but I need you to watch out for them. Please."

"Of course, baby," Gabriella whispered, leaning in to kiss Troy's forehead.

His breath hitched, and he closed his eyes.

"Gabi, kiss me one more time," he whispered huskily, his voice quieter.

She nodded, and lowered her face toward his, kissing him gently on the lips. Troy smiled contentedly, and weakly brought his hand up to her face.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too, baby," Gabriella replied. As she spoke, Troy's hand fell softly to the bed, and he closed his eyes. Even as she watched, his chest rose one final time, and he stilled.

Gabriella let out a strangled cry, holding Troy's hand close to her chest. Her cry alerted the floor nurse, who ran in. Seeing that it was already too late, she backed slowly out, letting Gabriella cry silently over Troy's body.

* * *

A/N: That was it. The end. I like the happy ending better, and besides, I didn't want you all after me to kill me. :D

P.S.-Go read the trailer for my next story, "Keep the Faith." Go, now! Yay!


	21. Keep the Faith Trailer

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. I also don't own any of the actors mentioned. They merely portray the characters that I am using in this story.

A/N: This is the trailer for my next HSM story, "Keep the Faith." Enjoy!

Once again, I am going with the theory that they were Juniors in the movie, hence the 2007 date and Troy being eighteen.

* * *

**Keep the Faith**

(Bon Jovi's "Keep the Faith" plays)

Troy, Gabriella, Ryan, and Sharpay are in a convenience store, laughing as they wait to check out.

The screen fades to black.

We see two men in ski masks walk into the store, waving guns and shouting at the customers. The action slows as the four friends fall to the ground, covering their heads with their arms.

The screen goes to black as a gunshot is heard.

We see Troy lying on the floor in a pool of blood, his eyes closed. Gabriella is kneeling next to him, crying hysterically as she tries to slow the bleeding with her sweater. Sharpay and Ryan are next to her, panicked.

The screen blacks out.

**Voice Over: **He was her world. Her one true love.

We see Gabriella and Troy, their faces inches apart. Troy slowly dips his face toward hers, appearing to kiss her.

**V.O.: **A single shot changes that forever.

We see a large crowd of people, dressed in black, circling a grave. Gabriella is standing near Mr. and Mrs. Bolton. Both women appeared changed. Their faces are pale and drawn, their eyes rimmed with red as tears stream down their cheeks.

The shot changes and we see Gabriella laying a single rose on the fresh grave. The camera pans out and we can read the tombstone: "TroyMichael Bolton. January 12, 1989-February 14, 2007."

The scene changes again and we see Gabriella lying, fully clothed, on her bed, eyes wide open as she stares blankly at the ceiling.

The screen fades as words appear in white:

"When times are hardest-"

We see Gabriella standing in the gym, staring at the basketball hoops.

The scene changes and we see Mrs. Bolton sitting at her kitchen table, pictures of Troy spread in front of her. A half-full bottle of vodka is sitting in front of her.

The scene changes again and we see the basketball team, solemnly putting on their jerseys before a game. Chad isn't there. Jason and Zeke appear to have taken over leadership of the team. They stand in front of the others, discussing strategy for the game. Each jersey has the number 14 stitched onto the right shoulder in black.

"When it seems like we can't go on-"

We see Jack Bolton throwing things into a box. He appears to be cleaning out his office.

The scene changes and we see Gabriella staring at a letter. The camera angles behind her and we can see that it is an acceptance letter to Stanford. Gabriella crumples the paper and tosses it in the trash.

The scene changes again and we see the cast of the spring musical, practicing a number. Suddenly, Sharpay stops and runs off the stage. We follow her into the hallway where she slides down the wall, burying her face in her hands as she cries.

The scene changes and we see Kelsi is sitting at the piano, leaning forward and writing on a notepad. She sits straight and plays a few notes on the piano, but stops suddenly. Picking up the paper, she looks at it sadly before letting it slide to the ground. She puts her head onto her arms, pressing down the keys of the piano.

"Someone is always there to pick us up-"

We see Ryan standing in the doorway of the music room, watching Gabriella as she sits at the piano. She looks up, and their eyes meet as he crosses the room to her.

The scene changes and we see Zeke comforting Sharpay, his arms around her as she sobs brokenly into his shoulder.

The scene changes again and we see Chad and Taylor standing in a hall, holding each other tightly.

The scene changes yet again, and we see Jason tip Kelsi's face toward him, tenderly reaching out to brush tears from her cheeks. Her face crumples and she collapses into his arms.

The scene changes again and we see Jack taking a bottle of alcohol from his wife. We can hear that he is yelling at her, tears streaming down his face as he does. She appears ashamed, collapsing into her husband's arms and sobbing.

**V.O.: Vanessa Anne Hudgens**

We see Gabriella standing at Troy's grave, running her fingers along the letters of his name.

**Lucas Grabeel**

We see Ryan tipping Gabriella's face toward him. He leans in as if to kiss her.

**Ashley Tisdale**

We see Sharpay on stage, singing during a rehearsal for the musical. She turns and smiles at someone offscreen.

**Bart Johnson**

We see Jack standing in his empty office, holding a picture of Troy in his hands. He turns abruptly and hurls it against a wall, the glass of the frame shattering.

**Leslie Pomeroy **

We see Mrs. Bolton standing in her kitchen, her hands shaking as she tries to pour herself a cup of coffee. The pot slips from her grasp and falls to the floor.

**Corbin Bleu**

We see Chad looking stonily at something in the distance. It is clear that he is struggling not to cry.

**Monique Coleman**

We see Taylor sitting in the chemistry lab, her head resting on her hand as she looks at the board. She smiles, turning to her notebook and writing something down.

**Chris Warren, Jr.**

We see Zeke closing his locker in the locker room. He quickly dries his hair with a towel. As he goes to walk toward the door, he catches sight of Troy's locker, and the expression on his face turns solemn.

**Ryne Sandorn**

We see Jason standing in front of a basketball hoop in the gym, absently spinning it in his hands. Shaking his head, he tosses the ball over his shoulder as he turns and walks away into the locker room

**Olyesa Rulin**

Kelsi stands quietly behind Ms. Darbus as they conduct auditions for the musical. She doesn't appear to be paying attention as she gazes out across the people seated in the auditorium.

**And**

**Zac Efron**

We see Troy stand up, slowly advancing toward the gunmen. He holds up his hands and steps back slightly as one of them turns the gun toward him.

**Keep the Faith**

**Coming soon to a computer near you.

* * *

**

A/N: That story will be a fun one. Not. Look for it soon!


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